Mass Conservatism: The Conservatives and the Public since the 1880s (Cass Series--British Politics and Society)

The papers that comprise this volume reveal how people are intent on preserving not only their wealth but culture too. The individual contributions identify the key arguments used to coax voters, whose natural sympathies might gravitate to the left, to vote for the Conservative Party en masse. The Essays In This Volume Explore The Relationship Between The Conservative Party And The Mass Of The British People From The 1880s To The Thatcher And Major Era. Several Focus Upon The Party's Sources Of Support And The Ways In Which It Has Sought To Broaden These Through Shifts In Policies, Presentation And Organisation.--jacket. Mass Conservatism / Stuart Ball, Ian Holliday -- The Making Of Scottish Unionism, 1886-1914 / Catriona Burness -- Farmworkers And Local Conservatism In South-west Shropshire, 1916-23 / Nicholas Mansfield -- The Conservative Party And Mass Housing, 1918-39 / Kevin Morgan -- Speaking To Democracy / Andrew Taylor -- Conservative Women And Voluntary Social Service, 1938-51 / James Hinton -- Echoes In The Wilderness / Paul Martin -- Industrial Relations As 'human Relations' / Peter Dorey -- Conservative Party Activists And Immigration Policy From The Late 1940s To The Mid-1970s / N.j. Crowson -- The Role Of The Conservative Political Centre, 1945-98 / Philip Norton -- The Community Affairs Department, 1975-79 / Andrew Rowe -- Thatcherism And The British People / Brendan Evans. Edited By Stuart Ball, Ian Holliday ; With A Foreword By William Hague. Series Numbered Retrospectively. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.

The Conservatives have been the most successful party in British politics since the arrival of a mass electorate following the Reform Acts of 1885 and 1918. Although identified with the elite, the Conservatives have consistently been able to mobilize a mass popular support. This has involved more than just a narrow defence of privilege and property, or negative anti-socialism. The essays in this volume explore the relationship between the Conservative Party and the mass of the British people from the 1880s to the Thatcher and Major era. Several focus on the party's sources of support and the ways in which it has sought to broaden these through shifts in policies, presentation and organization.
A second theme of the book is the response the Conservatives have found amongst the masses. Studies in this area consider the Tory appeal to particular groups in British society, both regionally and socially. Whereas histories of the Conservative Party have dealt with these issues in general t

Cover 1 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 List of Tables 8 Foreword 10 Series Editor's Preface 12 Acknowledgements 16 List of Abbreviations 17 1 Mass Conservatism: An Introduction 18 2 The Making of Scottish Unionism, 1886-1914 33 3 Farmworkers and Local Conservatism in South-west Shropshire, 1916-23 53 4 The Conservative Party and Mass Housing, 1918-39 75 5 Speaking to Democracy: The Conservative Party and Mass Opinion from the 1920s to the 1950s 95 6 Conservative Women and Voluntary Social Service, 1938-51 117 7 Echoes in the Wilderness: British Popular Conservatism, 1945-51 137 8 Industrial Relations as 'Human Relations': Conservatism and Trade Unionism, 1945-64 156 9 Conservative Party Activists and Immigration Policy from the Late 1940s to the Mid-1970s 180 10 The Role of the Conservative Political Centre, 1945-98 200 11 The Community Affairs Department, 1975-79: A Personal Record 217 12 Thatcherism and the British People 235 Notes on Contributors 259 Index 261