Edward Heath vs Harold Wilson
Edward Heath
United Kingdom- Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1970-1974)
- Leader of the Conservative Party (1965-1975)
Conservative Prime Minister from 1970 to 1974 who took Britain into the European Economic Community and whose government was shaken by miners' strikes and the Troubles.
Full profile of Edward Heath
Harold Wilson
United Kingdom- Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1964-1970, 1974-1976)
- Leader of the Labour Party (1963-1976)
Labour Prime Minister in 1964-1970 and 1974-1976 who promoted technological modernisation, economic planning and a series of social reforms, and kept Britain out of the Vietnam War.
Full profile of Harold WilsonIn short
How they compare
Edward Heath (1916-2005) and Harold Wilson (1916-1995) are a 78% match on the 10 axes where both have a clear record.
They differ most on security (Edward Heath: order (moderate); Harold Wilson: liberty (mild)), morality (Edward Heath: traditional (mild); Harold Wilson: progressive (moderate)) and ownership (Edward Heath: private (mild); Harold Wilson: public (moderate)). They are closest on culture, foreign policy and structure.
On the economy Edward Heath sits further toward markets; on state and liberty Edward Heath sits further toward authority; on society Edward Heath sits further toward tradition; on the world stage Harold Wilson sits further toward nation.
Generated from the two sourced profiles on this site. Each axis placement and its reasoning is on the full profile pages.
★ By family of axes
- Economy3 axes
- Edward HeathbalancedHarold Wilsonequality (moderate)
- State and liberty3 axes
- Edward Heathauthority (mild)Harold Wilsonliberty (mild)
- Society2 axes
- Edward HeathbalancedHarold Wilsonprogress (mild)
- World2 axes
- Edward Heathglobal (moderate)Harold Wilsonglobal (mild)
- Edward Heath: petals and stars
- Harold Wilson: dashed outline
★ Where they differ most
- Security65 points apart
Edward Heath: Order (moderate). Harold Wilson: Liberty (mild).
- Morality60 points apart
Edward Heath: Traditional (mild). Harold Wilson: Progressive (moderate).
- Ownership55 points apart
Edward Heath: Private (mild). Harold Wilson: Public (moderate).
- Welfare55 points apart
Edward Heath: Balanced. Harold Wilson: Shared (moderate).
★ Where they are closest
- Foreign policy · 15 apart
- Culture · 15 apart
- Structure · 20 apart
Axis by axis
Harold Wilson
Economy
Equality / Markets- OwnershipMild: Private40%60%PublicPrivate
- MarketsBalanced48%52%PlannedFree
- WelfareBalanced50%50%SharedSelf-reliant
State and liberty
Liberty / Authority- AuthorityMild: Democratic58%42%DemocraticStrong leader
- SecurityModerate: Order33%67%LibertyOrder
- StructureMild: Central40%60%LocalCentral
Society
Progress / Tradition- MoralityMild: Traditional45%55%ProgressiveTraditional
- ReligionNo clear recordSecularReligious
- TechnologyNo clear recordEmbraceCaution
- CultureMild: Multicultural58%42%MulticulturalNational identity
World
Global / Nation- TradeModerate: Global73%27%GlobalProtected
- Foreign policyModerate: Cooperation70%30%CooperationStrength
Not compared: Religion (no clear record for Edward Heath), Technology (no clear record for Edward Heath). These axes are greyed out above and left out of the match.
★ 12 Axes Political Test ★
Who are you closer to?
Answer plain statements on 12 axes and see your match with Edward Heath, Harold Wilson and every other historical figure, axis by axis.
FAQ
Edward Heath vs Harold Wilson
What is the difference between Edward Heath and Harold Wilson?
They differ most on security (Edward Heath: order (moderate); Harold Wilson: liberty (mild)), morality (Edward Heath: traditional (mild); Harold Wilson: progressive (moderate)) and ownership (Edward Heath: private (mild); Harold Wilson: public (moderate)). On the economy Edward Heath sits further toward markets; on state and liberty Edward Heath sits further toward authority; on society Edward Heath sits further toward tradition; on the world stage Harold Wilson sits further toward nation.
What do Edward Heath and Harold Wilson have in common?
They are closest on culture, foreign policy and structure. Overall their profiles are a 78% match on the 10 axes where both have a clear record.
Who leans more toward free markets, Edward Heath or Harold Wilson?
On the economic axes they share, Edward Heath sits further toward markets and Harold Wilson further toward equality. Edward Heath reads as balanced overall, Harold Wilson as equality (moderate).
Am I closer to Edward Heath or Harold Wilson?
Take the 12 Axes Political Test. Your result shows your match with both of them, and with every other historical figure and ideology on the site, axis by axis.