Conservative Century The Conservative Party since 1900

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.

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.