British Election Campaign Materials Collection
Posters and magazine and newspaper articles from 1964 to 1966. The three main political parties are featured.
This digital collection of British election campaign leaflets has been curated by University of Salford students. It was made using the physical holdings of our British Election Campaign material. The physical collection spans all general elections and selected by-elections from 1949 to February 1974. The students' digital collection focuses on the years 1964 to 1966. Materials from the three main political parties - Labour, Conservative, and Liberal - were selected. The content reflects issues the students felt remain relevant today.
Most items chosen came from series BEC/3, which contains general campaign leaflets. The wider collection includes posters, newspaper articles, and materials from both major and minor parties across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The digitised items represent a variety of candidates, including Shirley Williams, Hywel Davies, Ted Heath, and Harold Wilson.
Highlights from the digital collection include:
- a Scottish Liberal Party leaflet; What Kind of Man Are You?
- a provocative Independent Labour Party leaflet aimed at male voters
- the 1964 Manifesto of the National Union of Mineworkers
- various Conservative Party materials critiquing Labour’s record on the economy and national defence.
A particularly notable item is the Women’s Election Special from 1966. This was published by the Liberal Party, providing an insight into the Party’s messaging to women voters at the time.
Explore the collection
How can it be used?
This collection can be used to explore political messaging, campaign strategies, and public engagement in mid-20th-century Britain. It offers rich primary source material for analysing how political parties communicated their platforms, addressed key issues, and targeted specific voter groups. The digitised leaflets are ideal for comparative studies across elections, parties, and regions. They can support teaching and research in political history, media studies, sociology, and archival practice. The collection also serves as a practical example of student-led digitisation and curation, making it useful for discussions around digital humanities and public history.
Who might be interested?
This collection will appeal to academics, students, and members of the public interested in the history of political campaigning in Britain. Researchers in political science, history and communication will find valuable insights into party rhetoric and voter outreach. The materials can be used to support classroom discussions and assignments. Those with a general interest in British politics or historical ephemera may enjoy browsing the collection for its visual and cultural significance.
Types of material
Leaflets, posters, magazine articles, and newspaper articles.
Related material
- Catalogue for the British Election Campaign material
- Labour History Archive at the People’s History Museum
- Working Class Movement Library