This famous series examines key themes in British, European and World history in short, succinct volumes. The text is supported by primary material in a Documents section, a full bibliography and an index; where appropriate there are maps, chronologies and glossaries. All the books in the series are written by experts in the field who are not only familiar with the latest research but have often contributed to it. Works of scholarship in their own right, the books also provide a survey of current historical interpretations. Longman has now inaugurated a major programme of renewal and expansion for Seminar Studies, with many new titles and new editions in the pipeline. Existing books are being re-presented in a larger, more reader-friendly format as they reprint; and new books and new editions are being reset into an entirely new page design. This enormously popular Seminar Study was first published in 1972 and then revised in 1986. This, the Third Edition, is sure to be greatly welcomed by a new generation of students wanting a clear and up-to-date account of the origins and development of the Labour Party, from the late nineteenth century to the general election of 1945. As ever the core of the book is supplemented by a careful selection of documents which are closely linked to the main text. An important feature of the book remains the author's detailed analysis of the explanations by other historians for the rise of the Labour Party. For this latest edition the author has taken the opportunity to revise and update the book in the light of the latest historiography. The bibliography has also been expanded to include the most important publications since 1986. Dr Adelman organises his material around the two key questions facing students: firstly, why was the Labour Party formed?; and secondly, why was it able to grow? - ousting, as it did, the Liberal Party as the second party in the state in the years following the First World War, and eventually obtaining - for the first time - an overall majority at the general election of 1945. In exploring these questions the author also covers such important topics as: the development of socialist ideas, trade unionism and the General Strike of 1926, the two world wars and the impact they had on the development of the party, and the role of such key figures as Keir Hardie, Ramsay MacDonald and Arthur Henderson.Author: Paul Adelman was formerly Reader in History at Kingston University.Cover: Labour Party poster used for the 1945 general election. Reproduced by kind permission of the the National Museum of Labour History.