Why did the Conservatives dominate British politics between 1885 and 1905?

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28 September 2004                                                        Anna Carlisle

Why did the Conservatives dominate British politics between 1885 and 1905?

 

A number of factors meant that the Conservative Party dominated British politics between 1885 and 1905: a significant reason why support for the Conservatives began to increase in at this specific time was because of the Redistribution of Seats Act, which was passed in 1885.   At this time, although the Conservatives did have working-class support, many Conservative voters tended to be wealthy landowners and businessmen, who didn’t want any major change in the government to threaten their position.  When this act was passed, Salisbury, the conservative prime minister, ensured that when the new constituency boundaries were drawn, the conservative voters were grouped together so that they were guaranteed a seat in that particular area: towns such as Sheffield and Glasgow ensured that the Conservatives stayed in power.  The Conservatives further increased support by establishing social clubs (eg: The Primrose League) in these areas.  The clubs organised concerts and fetes to draw in supporters and help spread Conservative beliefs.  Another Conservative strength, which helped them gain support, was the fact that the party was well organised than the Liberals.  The Liberal Party suffered from ‘faddism’: different members of the party supported different policies eg: restricting the sale on alcohol.  In contrast, the Conservatives had clear views, which all party members supported. They were against ‘home rule’ in Ireland, (giving Ireland more control over their own affairs) as they didn’t want the British Empire to collapse, they were especially concerned about India as there were essential resources here: during the Victorian era, India was known as ‘the jewel in the crown’.  They also were monarchists and supported the church of England- this helped the Conservatives gain support among some working-class citizens who were anti-Catholic.  In fact, many working-class citizens voted for the conservatives, after the 1867 Reform Act, which ensured 2/3 of lower-class men could vote.  Some opposed the policy that a few liberals held to control licensing laws and others took the advice of

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Anna Carlisle

their wealthier employers, and voted for the conservatives, which increased their support.

Certainly, there were a number of Conservative strengths, which appealed to voters but liberal weaknesses also played a part in ensuring the Conservatives dominated British politics at this time.  As well as ‘faddism’, the issue of ‘Home Rule’ further split the liberal party.  Whereas the Conservative Party was against Ireland gaining some independence, the Liberals didn’t have a clear view on the matter.  Gladstone wanted to pacify Ireland and introduced the first Home Rule Bill in 1886 but Chamberlain agreed with the conservatives ...

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