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The Conservative Party has been the dominant force in twentieth-century British politics. On its own or as the predominant partner in a coalition it has held power for more than sixty years since 1900. Despite this it has been the most neglected and misunderstood of all the main parties.
This book is the first systematic attempt to survey the history and politics of the Conservative Party across the whole of the twentieth century from the `Khaki' election of 1900 to John Major's victory of 1992 and beyond. Each of the authoritative team of contributors pursues an important theme within three main areas; the composition and structure of the Party; its ideas, policies and actions in government; and its public image and sources of support in the country. Based upon new research,
in particular in the Conservative Party archives, Conservative Century is essential reading for both students and specialists, and offers a mine of fascinating information for anyone interested in British politics.
About the author
Anthony Seldon is Founding Director of The Institute of Contemporary British History. His books include Churchill's Indian Summer (1981), Politics UK (co-aut, 1991), Ruling Performance: British Governments from Attlee to Thatcher (co-ed, 1987), and The Thatcher Effect (co-ed, 1989). He lives in Tonbridge, Kent.
Stuart Ball is Lecturer in History at University of Leicester. He contributes to various historical journals, and is the author of Baldwin and the Conservative Party; The Crisis of 1929-1931 (1988), editor of Parliament and Politics in the Age of Bladwin and MacDonald (1992), and author of the forthcoming The Conservative Party and British Politics 1902-1951, for Longman. He lives in Leicester.
Summary
The Conservative Party has been the dominant force in twentieth-century British politics. On its own or as the predominant partner in a coalition it has held power for more than sixty years since 1900. Despite this it has been the most neglected and misunderstood of all the main parties. This book is the first systematic attempt to survey the history and politics of the Conservative Party across the whole of the twentieth century from the `Khaki' election of 1900 to John Major's victory of 1992 and beyond. Traditional boundaries between history and political science have been ignored, with each of the authoritative team of contributors pursuing an important theme within three main areas; the composition and structure of the Party; its ideas, policies and actions in government; and its public image and sources of support in the country. The essays are based upon new research, in particular in the Conservative Party archives. Conservative Century will be essential reading for both students and specialists, and it offers a mine of fascinating information for anyone interested in British politics.
Foreword
The Conservative Party from 1900 to John Major
Additional text
a rich mine of fact and opinion for those seeking a solution to the riddle ... Anthony Seldon and the institute of British History have, over the last 10 years, performed a remarkable service in stimulating writing and discussion about recent British history. Conservative Century is one of their grandest achievements ... admirable book ... This book offers a wonderfully comprehensive description of the evolution of the most triumphantly and sustainedly successful right-wing party that democracy has ever known.
