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Title:
British Oral Archive of Political and Administrative History, 1920-1980

Subject Categories:
Administrative history - History
Military, naval and maritime history - History
Political history - History
Government and political systems - Politics
Elites and leadership - Social stratification and groupings

Depositor(s):
Clarke, D.A.

Principal Investigator(s):
Clarke, D.A.

Abstract:
The aim of the project was to collect a systematic oral archive of interviews with key figures from politics, the Civil Service and the armed forces. Interviewees were selected predominantly from former Permanent Secretaries or former Cabinet Ministers, and were asked questions relating to the whole period of their official life, concentrating on the post-war years.

The subject matter of the interviews covers the period from 1920 to 1980, and includes details of the lives and work of the interviewees.

This was a pilot project in oral history on 'elite' persons, a field comparatively neglected in Britain. The project consisted of 50 interviews with former Ministers, senior civil servants and Service Chiefs. Interviewees were asked about their official careers, the aim being to uncover material not available from written documents. The aim of the project was to fill a major gap in British modern history/political research and is the first of its kind in Britain.

Coverage:
Time Period Covered: 1920-1979
Country: United Kingdom
Spatial Units: No spatial unit
Observation Units: Individuals
Kind of Data: Textual data; Interview transcriptions; Audio recordings

Universe Sampled:
Location of Units of Observation:Subnational
Population:Former politicians and key civil servants

Methodology:
Time Dimensions: Cross-sectional (one-time) study
Sampling Procedures: Volunteer sample
Method of Data Collection: Face-to-face interview; Audio recording
Weighting: Not applicable

Language(s) of Written Materials:
Study Description: English
Study Documentation: English

Access:
Access Conditions: Host archive conditions apply
Availability: These data are available from a service other than ESDS, UK Data Archive - The British Library of Political and Economic Science. Contact ESDS Qualidata, UK Data Archive, in the first instance.
Contact: Help desk: qualidata@esds.ac.uk

Copyright:
Copyright London School of Economics