Conservative Dominance 18951902

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Conservative Dominance 1895-1902
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Introduction

• In the fifty years after the 1832 Reform Act the
  Conservatives won only two general elections and
  yet from 1886 they enjoyed a twenty year
  dominance only to fall again in 1906 and then to
  be a party with internal divisions, loss of
  confidence, and parliamentary weak.

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• The Conservative dominance should be called a
  Unionist dominance because it was the coming
  together of Lord Salisburys Conservatives and
  the Liberal Unionists which gave them a majority
  in 1886.

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Why were they dominant?

• Won three out of four general elections from
  1886-1906
• House of Lords
• Traditional support - Rural areas, seaside towns
  and cathedral cities areas of strength
• Gaining support in big cities and industrial
  towns

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• majority of magistrates
• property
• funds
• Primrose League 1881

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Social and political forces

• Industrialisation had provided the owners with an
  increased leisure for politics.
• Industrialisation had divided the workforce -
  foremen, overseers and junior managers - office
  workers. Both groups had a conservative
  motivation for voting against change.
• class neighbourhoods - Villa Toryism.
• The growth of daily newspapers also helped e.g.
  The Daily Mail.

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The Conservative Governments 1895-1902

• Conservatives won 341 seats plus 80 Liberal
  Unionists
• Lord Salisbury had secured a huge majority in the
  House of Commons
• Achieved very little in domestic affairs between
  1895-1902

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• achieved very little in domestic affairs between
  1895-1902
• had to avoid raising taxation or promoting the
  redistribution of wealth .
• Conservatives were fortunate that the economy was
  doing better and standards of living were rising.

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Domestic reforms

• 1896 Agricultural Ratings Act lowered
  agricultural rates for farmers
• 1896 Land Act increased the process of
  selling land to tenants in Ireland
• 1897 Education Act increased state funding for
  Voluntary (Church) schools

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• 1897 - Workmens Compensation Act - by which some
  workmen who were injured while at work or caught
  a disease as a result of their work were allowed
  to claim compensation from their employers. The
  Act did not apply to seamen, agricultural workers
  or domestic servants.

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Imperialism

• Patriotism - two jubilees, 1887 and 1897 and the
  Boer War 1899-1902
• Unionism, a party that stood unashamedly for
  Britains greatness and was opposed to the
  break-up of the British Empire
• Battle of Omdurman 1898 and the relief of
  Mafeking in 1900 were greeted with great
  outbursts of popular rejoicing.

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Liberal Party in disarray

• Split with the Unionists in 1886
• Supporters were unclear about what Liberalism now
  meant
• Gladstones fourth administration 1892-94 was
  racked by disagreement - Second Home Rule Bill

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The Khaki Election

• In 1900 Salisbury called a Khaki election and
  fought it on the issue of an imperial war. The
  Conservatives had 402 MPs whilst the Liberals had
  only 184
• Salisbury was unwell. He waited for the new
  king, Edward VII, to be crowned and then retired
  leaving the premiership in the hands of his
  nephew, Arthur Balfour.