Modern times

The First World War helped to precipitate an era of social change, starting with votes for women. Ireland was partitioned in 1921; the six northern counties (where Protestants were in a majority) remained part of the United Kingdom, while the south became independent.
The inter-war years were marked by economic recession and large scale unemployment. World War II started in 1939; the threat of German invasion ended with the Battle of Britain, but bombing of cities continued throughout the war.
Dramatic social change followed the end of the war. Churchill was voted out of office and a new Labour government nationalised many industries, created a publicly-funded health service, and instituted the modern welfare state. Colonies gained their independence, starting with India in 1947. Large scale immigration from former colonies on the Indian subcontinent, the Caribbean and Africa changed the cultural and religious composition of Britain.
The United Kingdom entered the Common Market – now the European Union – in 1973. Separate governments were created in Scotland and Wales in the late 1990s. Years of violence in Northern Ireland have been followed by an uneasy peace, with the province still polarised between mainly Catholic Republicans (hoping for union with Ireland) and mainly Protestant Unionists (supporting the union with Britain).