From Salisbury to Major (Political Analyses) - Softcover

This history examines the Conservative Party's ability to dominate British politics. It takes as its key themes the party's relationship with mass democracy and its willingness to adapt, often at the cost of considerable internal conflict and ideological change. Brendan Evans and Andrew Taylor argue that the party's dominance has stemmed from the interaction of a complex internal political process whose purpose is adaptation to an often rapidly changing political environment. The first part of their book explores Conservative politics from the mid-19th century to 1965, the pivotal year when the exhaustion of "One Nation" Conservatism became obvious and the party elected its first non- aristocratic leader. The second part covers 1965 to 1995, the years of neoliberal rebirth culminating in Thatcherism, and the subsequent tiredness of John Major's government after 16 long years of Conservative power.