# Decimalisation of the pound (1971)

URL: https://english-history.com/timeline/1971-decimalisation-of-the-pound
Categories: main-event

Britain replaced pounds, shillings and pence with a decimal currency system. Within the broader Postwar & Modern UK period, decolonization, welfare institutions, migration, European integration and withdrawal, devolution and social change reshaped the modern United Kingdom. This event is placed at 1971 in the chronology so it can be read alongside the political, military, social and cultural changes around it. The change was a highly visible modernization of everyday economic life.

## Why it matters
The change was a highly visible modernization of everyday economic life.

Ruler at the time: [Elizabeth II](https://english-history.com/rulers/elizabeth-ii)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Decimalisation of the pound](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Decimalisation+of+the+pound&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Decimalisation of the pound](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Decimalisation+of+the+pound)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of British history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_British_history)
- [The National Archives — Postwar collection](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/explore-by-time-period/postwar/)