Conservative Party in Wales, 1945-1997

Wales is often considered to be one of the most anti-Conservative parts of Britain, with the party unable to connect with voters. The Conservative Party in Wales, 1945-1997 offers a more nuanced perspective as the first book-length study of Wales's second political party in the decades after the Second World War. From the places where Conservatism was often successful, the book questions why it failed to find any purchase in other parts of Wales, discussing how the party communicated its policies, who its candidates were, and how the party deliberately crafted specific policies 'for the nation' - from introducing the first Minister for Welsh Affairs to making Welsh a compulsory subject in schools. Adopting an holistic approach to the party, the book scrutinises activists and prominent Tories at the grassroots, asking what they reveal about understudied aspects of Welsh history, particularly the lives of the Anglicised and socially conservative middle class.

About the author

Sam Blaxland is a postdoctoral fellow and tutor in modern history at Swansea University in Wales.

Product details

• Authors: Sam Blaxland
• Publisher: University of Wales Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 15.04.2024
• EAN: 9781837720811
• ISBN: 978-1-83772-081-1
• No. of pages: 320
• Series: Studies in Welsh History
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political system; Party, Wales, 1945, 1997, Sam, Political Parties, Postwar 20th century history, from c 1945 to c 2000, European History, POLITICAL SCIENCE / History & Theory, General & world history, Political science & theory, conservative, British & Irish history, Later 20th century c 1950 to c 1999, HISTORY / Europe / Great Britain / General, General and world history, Political science and theory, Political parties and party platforms, c 1945 to c 2000 (Post-war period), Conservatism & right-of-centre democratic ideologies, Liberalism & centre democratic ideologies, Centrist democratic ideologies, Right-of-centre democratic ideologies, HISTORY / Modern / 20th Century / General, Blaxland