"The unpopularity of their policies was the most important reason why the Conservatives were out of office 1846-1866" How far do you agree?
“The unpopularity of their policies was the most important reason why the Conservatives were out of office 1846-1866” How far do you agree?
The Repeal of the Corn Laws introduced by Sir Robert Peel in 1846 generated a great deal of bitterness among his MPs and their voters This policy was the foundation to the weakness of the Conservative party and resulted in a deep division which split the party and its supporters. This resulted in a disorganised and inefficient party and was a cause of their struggle for power. A lack of compromise, failure to recognise the fundamental interests of its supporters and internal conflict all led to the downfall of the party. In the years between 1846 and 1866 the Conservative party held power on only two occasions, firstly in 1852 and again between 1858 and 1859. Conservative policies in these years included both the budget of 1852 and 1853 as well as the Reform Bill of 1853. However, these policies only resulted in developing a sense of unity within the Liberals, as it further highlighted a failure to formulate sound strategy for future progress. Therefore, it is clear that the Conservative party was unable to appeal to the voting public and along with a lack of internal compromise they were placed in an ever deteriorating situation. It can be proved from this that it was not only unpopular policy that resulted in their weakness but the overall picture that was portrayed to the electorate.
The Conservative party was portrayed as an incompetent and disorganised party which lacked a drive to convince the electorate of its strength to bring positive change. This was mainly due to the lack of expert and experienced politicians which had joined with the Peelites. The failure to appeal to the voting public was because the party was seen as only representing the needs of a small section of society. This made them appear as unable to represent the views of a wider industrial nation. Their passionate position against the repeal of the Corn Laws left them to appear as reactionary and unaware of the wider interests of the people. Furthermore, it became clear that the people of Britain wanted a party of change and they looked to the expansion of trade and industrial achievement as examples of their desires. A failure to address the specific needs of the people through policies as well as little evidence of experience within the party resulted in an unconvinced electorate. It can be seen that although unpopular policy was a factor for the struggle to power, it was not the only reason. This is because even with popular policy the electorate would not be totally convinced whether what was being promised would actually be delivered by an incompetent looking cabinet. Therefore the general portrayal and trust installed within the electorate was a more important factor as it was this that would make the policies more convincing and in turn backed up. The popular policies themselves would only be part of the deal. Hence it is the dependence of one factor on another.
