Salisbury also held together a wide alliance, which was vital if the conservatives were to succeed. The Liberal Unionists became a worthy ally. This group brought valuable advantages for Salisbury’s governments on many occasions. In Salisbury’s second ministry 1886-92, the government was almost a pure Conservative administration. It did not use the support of the unionists. In 1887, Salisbury appointed Unionist Goschen as Chancellor of the Exchequer. This appointment of the opposition was a astute move, as this brought the two groups closer together. Liberal Unionist leader Hartington gave his approval, and the two groups were closely linked throughout this period. This would have helped the conservatives, as it meant that liberals were supporting them, and gaining more support amongst different types of people. However, many argue that Goschen left the Liberals because they were weak. This is untrue, and it was due to Salisbury’s political awareness and the third Reform Bill, which Goschen opposed, which brought the Unionists and Conservatives together. Unionists also brought direct financial backing for the Conservatives. In 1900, only 20% of Conservatives were from the landed classes. This would have appealed to the working and middle class voters, as it is not only landed classes leading the country.
Many believe that one of Salisbury's strengths was his adaptability. Three days of speaking engagements in Edinburgh showed how he could tailor his speeches to a potentially supportive and middle class audience. He also took the ‘liberal’ path of laissez-faire. This was important, as it meant that it might win over some of the current liberal supporters.
However, many believe that weaknesses of the Liberal Party played an important part in the dominance of the conservatives. In 1892, Gladstone won the election. His main focus was on Ireland, which was dismissed, and was defeated in the Lords. Gladstone wanted to dissolve Parliament to have general elections as a referendum. However, the Liberals refused. This division and weakness within the Liberal Party did hinder their progress, and also helped the dominance of the Conservatives. Although this is a valid argument, it is unfair to say that this is the main reason for conservative supremacy. The people didn’t lose confidence in the Liberal Party purely for the reason that they were weak, the chose the Conservatives because it offered them a chance of stability and structure. ‘Tory Democracy’ was introduced, which means ‘trust the people, and they will trust you.’ This won support, and didn’t rely on Liberal failures.
The support of radical Joseph Chamberlain was also an important factor in Conservative dominance. It had been argued for some time that he may return to the Liberal Party. However in 1891, he praised Salisbury's social reforms; housing, education and factory acts. Imperialism was beginning to edge out social reform in Chamberlains mind, and the conservatives supported this view, and therefore gained more support because of it. In the third ministry of Salisbury, Chamberlain was offered any post he wanted, and Hartington was made President of the Council. These appointments helped Conservative dominance, as a liberal and a radical were allying with the conservatives, and this would have gained more support from both these groups.
The Conservatives social reform legislation was not as successful as they hoped, but they still believed it to be important. For example, to reduce local expenditure, grants in aid to local authorities were considerably increased rising from £4 to £8 million n seven years after 1887. Salisbury sometimes took a strict laissez-faire attitude however, and this was important if they were to keep working class and middle class support.
Another important factor in Conservative supremacy was the structure of the party. It had improved rapidly after the 1880 election. As a result, the party was able to take advantage of the opportunities that recent political changes had brought to the conservatives. They rivalled the Liberal Party structure as the remained driven from the top, rather than a more grass roots approach from the liberals. However, Party Agent ‘Captain’ Richard Middleton proved an astute choice, and kept Salisbury in touch with the grass roots appeal of the Liberals. This was important, as it tried to rival the opposition, by offering the people similar promises to the Liberals about social reform and legislation, but also giving them the chance to vote for a party who would offer them imperial promises.
One of the most important factors in why the Conservatives were dominant in this period was due to the ‘wide range of support from all social classes.’ For example, the number of Conservative MPs in London went up from 35 to 51 between 1885 and 1895. This wasn’t just because of the middle classes however. The more modest lower middle class bank employees such as clerks were supporting the Conservatives as their own economic stability increased. The number of clerks in the country grew considerably between 1850 and 1914, from 95,000 to 843,000. Although there was no female franchise, women were still active in the party, and helped to gain support. Workers in trades such as textiles and cotton spinning were likely to vote for the Conservatives as well, as they agreed with fair trade. In some areas, ‘the public house was the vital component in attracting potential members to meeting.’ Getting the support of the lower classes was vital, as this was the greatest number of people in a group in the country. Support was also gained from port towns such as Plymouth and Portsmouth, as the Conservatives policy of imperialism appealed to them. Armament factories also benefited from this policy, was did teaching in schools.
Salisbury's Foreign Policy was also important. He avoided formal alliances in a period when they were common. He made pacts with both Italy and Austria. Salisbury always refused attempts in the late 1880s by German Chancellor Bismarck to draw him into the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria and Italy. He believed that Britain’s lack of definite alliances and commitments was to the country’s advantage.
Although Liberal weaknesses and divisions, such as the no support for leader Gladstone in the 1890s, helped the Conservative cause, this was not the main reason for dominance. The Conservatives owed a lot to the skills of Salisbury. He adapted well to the changing political climate, and also made policies which appealed to all walks of life, and a wide range of social people. He made astute political decisions and appointed opposition officials in his ranks. The dominance of conservatism was due to him, and his political strengths as a leader.
