When was the conservatives party formed

When Salisbury retired from the premiership in , the outlook for the Conservatives seemed very favourable. This proposed a return to protectionism combined with lower duties on trade within the British empire, with the aim of fostering greater imperial unity.

It was soon supported by most Conservatives, but was strongly opposed by a small group of free traders. More seriously, working-class fears that duties on food imports would raise the cost of living made it an electoral liability.

During the passage of the third Irish Home Rule Bill in —14 Law moved to an extreme position in support of Ulster, and appeared willing to back potentially violent paramilitary resistance. Sign in. Back to Main menu Virtual events Masterclasses. Youth Opportunities. Working at the House. Search Search. House of Commons Procedure and Practice.

Appendix 8 Party Leaders in the House of Commons Since By tradition, leaders of political parties are expected to have a seat or to seek a seat in the House of Commons as soon as possible. Parliament Party Leaders 1st — Liberal-Conservative Liberal. Sir John A. Macdonald Alexander Mackenzie. Liberal Liberal-Conservative. Alexander Mackenzie Sir John A. Macdonald Edward Blake. Sir Wilfrid Laurier Robert Borden 5. Sir Wilfrid Laurier Robert Borden.

Unionist Laurier Liberal Progressive. Crerar 9. Liberal Progressive Liberal-Conservative Labour. Mackenzie King T. Liberal Conservative Progressive Labour. Liberal Conservative Labour. Bennett J. Most of the new voters were in the industrial towns and cities, and it was with the aim of improving Conservative prospects here that Disraeli founded what became the central pillars of the party organisation: the National Union, which began as a modest gathering in , and the Central Office, established in Disraeli's government of was a landmark in Conservative fortunes, and its domestic measures widened its appeal to the urban lower and middle classes.

At the same time, Disraeli forged the crucial link between the Conservative Party and patriotic pride in nation and empire. However, economic problems and Gladstone's revival of Liberal spirits led to Conservative defeat in Despite this setback, the position of the Conservative Party was becoming much stronger in the final quarter of the nineteenth century. No longer the defender of the landed and aristocratic elite alone, the Conservative Party was becoming a national presence with an appeal to all communities, and it was this combination which led to its first period of dominance, from to Disraeli's successor, the 3rd Marquis of Salisbury, though by temperament deeply pessimistic, was an astute strategist.

These Liberal Unionists first gave informal support to Salisbury's government of , and then shared office as a junior partner when Salisbury returned to power in As a result, from the s to the s, 'Unionist' displaced Conservative as the general term for the Party and its supporters - in Scotland until the s.

The Irish question, the Liberal weakness and disunity, and the impact of the Boer War led to substantial Conservative victories in and When Salisbury retired from the Premiership in , the outlook for the Conservatives appeared to be favourable. However, their fortunes swiftly declined under his nephew and successor, Arthur Balfour, and the period from to was the worst period of defeat and disunity in the Party's modern history - principally because of divisions over Joseph Chamberlain's programme of pro-Empire tariff reform, which was strongly opposed by a small group of free traders.

More seriously, working-class fears that duties on food imports would raise the cost of living made it an electoral liability. The internal divisions which followed caused a purge of the Cabinet in and did much to cause three successive electoral defeats - the landslide of , which left only Conservative MPs, and narrower reverses in January and December The Party was further divided over resistance to the Liberal government's reform of the House of Lords in , and Balfour finally resigned the leadership.

The defeats also led to organisational reforms, and in the post of Party Chairman was created to oversee the work of the Central Office. Balfour's unexpected successor, Andrew Bonar Law, restored Party morale with a series of vigorous attacks upon the government and by his support of Ulster during the passage of the Irish Home Rule Bill in As the 'patriotic' party, its advocacy of vigorous prosecution of the war led to increased popularity, and it also benefited from the splits and eventual decline of the Liberal Party.

In December , concerned over lack of direction in the war, the Conservative leaders supported the supplanting of Asquith by a more energetic and charismatic Liberal, David Lloyd George. The Conservatives had a larger share of office in the restructured coalition of , and provided most of the back-bench support in the House of Commons.

When victory came in Lloyd George was at the height of his popularity, and Bonar Law readily agreed that the Coalition should continue in order to tackle the problems of peace-making and reconstruction.

However, after economic depression and failures of policy in , the Coalition became increasingly unpopular amongst Conservative MPs and local activists. His approach was too autocratic and inflexible, and he seemed too closely tied to the discredited Lloyd George. A revolt against the Coalition swelled up from the lower ranks of the party, and Chamberlain was defeated at the meeting of Conservative MPs held at the Carlton Club on 19 October The fall of the Coalition was the formative event in Conservative politics between the wars.

It marked a decision to return to normal party politics, with Labour replacing the Liberals as the main opposition. The events of also brought to the fore a group of anti-coalitionist junior ministers who dominated the leadership until Stanley Baldwin was the most important of these, and he replaced the dying Bonar Law as party leader and Prime Minister in May Despite leading the Conservatives into an unnecessary defeat in December and a serious assault upon his position in , Baldwin remained leader until Standing for honesty, moderation and traditional English values, he attracted widespread popular support.

As a result of this and of the Liberal-Labour rivalry, the Conservative Party dominated the inter-war decades. Between and they were the largest party in the House of Commons for all but two and a half years. In the crisis of August the Conservatives agreed to serve under the former Labour Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald, in a National government in which the Conservatives formed by far the largest element.

The latter's period as leader was dominated by controversy over the policy of appeasement. Chamberlain exerted a much closer grip over the Party than Baldwin had done, and until the outbreak of war he was strongly supported by the grass-roots and almost all MPs.