Editing Political realignment (section)

===Oceania===

====Australia====
* [[1910 Australian federal election]] — [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]] victory; [[Andrew Fisher]] [[Prime Minister of Australia|Prime Minister]] 
** The unification of the [[Protectionist Party]] and the Anti-Socialist Party (originally the [[Free Trade Party]]) into the [[Commonwealth Liberal Party]] earlier in 1909 made this election the first under what would become a [[two-party system]], between the democratic socialist Labor Party versus a non-Labor, conservative party as the nation's two main parties. It also marked the first elected [[majority government]] federally.
* [[1922 Australian federal election]] — [[Nationalist Party (Australia)|Nationalist]]-[[National Party of Australia|Country]] coalition victory 
** This was the first time a conservative party formed the [[Coalition (Australia)|Coalition]] with the Country Party which represented graziers, farmers, and regional voters in the aftermath of the 1922 election. Despite some interruptions in Coalition agreements such as in 1931, 1939 and 1987, this coalition has existed until today, now between the [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal Party]] (successor to the Nationalists) and National party (which was renamed from the Country party). The Liberal/National coalition alternates in power with their main opponents, the Australian Labor Party to form the federal government of Australia at every federal election. 
* [[1949 Australian federal election]] — [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal]] victory; [[Robert Menzies]] [[Prime Minister of Australia|Prime Minister]]<ref>{{cite web|date= 18 June 2020|title= 'The time has come to say something of the forgotten class': how Menzies transformed Australian political debate|url= https://theconversation.com/the-time-has-come-to-say-something-of-the-forgotten-class-how-menzies-transformed-australian-political-debate-131383|access-date= 25 May 2022}}</ref>
** Previously, the [[United Australia Party]] (UAP) was seen as close to big business and the upper class, while their opponents, the [[Australian Labor Party]] appealed to trade unionists, and working and lower classes. By founding the Liberal Party to replace the UAP after its 1943 election defeat, Menzies began selling his party's appeal to middle-classes which he famously called “[[The Forgotten People]]” in the class conflict between the upper and lower social classes. Forming a coalition with the Country Party (now the [[National Party of Australia|National Party]] which represented rural graziers and farmers), this resulted in a coalition of liberals, conservatives and rural interests against the democratic socialists of the [[Australian Labor Party]]. Menzies kept free-traders and economic moderates; hard-line conservatives and social liberals united under one party, the Liberal party, by focusing on Labor's “socialism” and the international threat of communism amidst the [[Cold War]].
** During his 17 years in power from 1949 to 1966, the Menzies government presided over the longest period of economic prosperity in Australia's history, lasting from the late 1940s to the early 1970s. Continued economic growth, rising standards of living, and his widening of government support for education and universities led to the vast expansion of the Australian middle class and changed the Australian workforce from manual labour towards service, science and new technology industries; the [[ANZUS Treaty]] of 1951 and voting rights for [[Aboriginal Australians]] are legacies which still stand today.<ref>{{cite web|date= 29 October 2019|title= The Enduring Legacy|url= https://www.menziesrc.org/members-news/the-enduring-legacy|access-date= 25 May 2022}}</ref> Arguably, Labor was forced to modernise and adopt a more [[social democrat]]ic approach (away from [[democratic socialism]] and nationalisation of industry) to appeal to the expanded middle class, under [[Gough Whitlam]].
* [[1972 Australian federal election]] – [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]] victory; [[Gough Whitlam]] [[Prime Minister of Australia|Prime Minister]]<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hughes|first1=Colin A.|title=The 1972 Australian Federal Election|date=April 1973|publisher=Australian Journal of Politics and History, Volume 19, Issue 1|pages=11}}</ref>
** After twenty-three years of [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal]] rule under Menzies, [[Harold Holt]], [[John Gorton]] and [[William McMahon]], the Labor Party took power in 1972, with the slogan, '[[It's Time (Australian campaign)|It's Time]]'. The significance of this election was broader than merely a change of partisan rule; elections would be no longer decided only on economic issues, but also, new issues such as the environment, Aboriginal affairs, abortion, multiculturalism, and a broader acceptance of state spending, resulted from the [[Gough Whitlam|Whitlam]] government, which in many respects created a bipartisan consensus on major issues of social policy. Although the Whitlam government was relatively brief, its policy legacy—in creating new government policies for society and culture—lasted in many respects to the [[1996 Australian federal election|1996 election]], and even to the present day.

====New Zealand====
{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2020}}

* [[1890 New Zealand general election]] – [[New Zealand Liberal Party|Liberal]] victory; [[John Ballance]] Prime Minister
** The coming to power of the [[New Zealand Liberal Party|Liberal Party]] is heralded as a major milestone in New Zealand history. It marked the beginning of proper party politics in New Zealand. While groupings of 'Liberal' and 'Conservative' politicians date back to the 1870s they were more akin to loose factions rather than properly organised parties. Massive economic and social reforms took place following 1890 with a progressive land tax partnered with leasehold sponsorship to stimulate agriculture which recovered the country from the [[Long Depression]]. Ballance's successor [[Richard Seddon]] carried on reforms concentrating largely on establishing welfare. Arguably the Liberal's most famous and important achievement was the enfranchisement of women, a major social upheaval which saw New Zealand become the first country in the world to allow women to vote.
* [[1935 New Zealand general election]] – [[New Zealand Labour Party|Labour]] victory; [[Michael Joseph Savage]] Prime Minister
** The 1935 election brought Labour to power for the first time. Huge economic change resulted from their entry into office at the height of the [[Great Depression]] which was to remain in place for half a century. A generous welfare system labeled as "[[Social Security Act 1938|social security]]" was instigated and the country's existing free market economy was completely abandoned in favour of a [[Keynesian]] based system with higher tariffs, guaranteed prices for producers and emphasis on local manufacturing to create jobs. The government was praised for their policies resulting in another landslide victory in [[1938 New Zealand general election|1938]]. The political landscape was also to change. The three-party era of the early 20th century ended with the [[United Party (New Zealand)|United]] and [[New Zealand Reform Party|Reform]] parties (who had formed a coalition between 1931 and 1935) completely merging a year later into the new [[New Zealand National Party|National Party]], who remain Labour's main rival to the present day, both occupying either government or opposition ever since.
* [[1984 New Zealand general election]] – [[New Zealand Labour Party|Labour]] victory; [[David Lange]] [[Prime Minister of New Zealand|Prime Minister]]
** The election of the [[Fourth Labour Government of New Zealand|Labour Government]] under the leadership of David Lange and [[Roger Douglas]], brought about [[Rogernomics|radical economic reform]], moving New Zealand from what had probably been one of the most protected, regulated and state-dominated system of any capitalist democracy to an extreme position at the open, competitive, free-market end of the spectrum. Social policies also took a dramatic change with New Zealand's largely socially conservative outlook being reshaped with more liberal outlooks in the Lange government's policy epitomised by policies such as the passing of [[New Zealand nuclear-free zone|anti-nuclear legislation]] and the [[Homosexual Law Reform Act 1986|legalisation of homosexuality]]. Foreign relations also changed dramatically with New Zealand abandoning their allegiances with the United States, largely over the issue of anti-nuclear policy, culminating in their exclusion from [[ANZUS]] by both the US and Australia. [[New Zealand Party]] won 12% of the vote in their first election, it was the first time since 1935 that any party other than Labour, the National and [[Social Credit Party (New Zealand)|Social Credit Party]] won more than 10% of the vote.
* [[1996 New Zealand general election]] – [[New Zealand National Party|National]]–[[New Zealand First]] coalition victory; [[Jim Bolger]] [[Prime Minister of New Zealand|Prime Minister]]
** The 1996 election was the first held under the new [[mixed-member proportional]] (MMP) voting system, introduced after two referendums in 1992 and 1993, and signalled the transition from the two-party era to a new multi-party era.