The Conservative Ascendancy

About the lecture

In this module, we think about the electoral domination of the Conservative Party in the interwar period, focusing in particular on: (i) the extent of Conservative domination, being out of power for just three of the twenty-seven years between 1918-1945; (ii) the unexpectedness of the Conservatives' electoral success in a period which saw a huge expansion in the franchise; (iii) the effectiveness of Stanley Baldwin as a political leader, and of Neville Chamberlain as a policy-maker; (iv) the success with which the Conservative party 'courted' women voters and the working classes; and (v) the size, professionalism and creativity of the Conservative electoral machine compared to its rivals.

About the lecturer

Dr Robert Crowcroft is Senior Lecturer in Contemporary History at the University of Edinburgh. His research focuses on moments where political systems have been subjected to acute stresses such as war. His most recent book, The End is Nigh: British Politics, Power, and the Road to the Second World War (2019), focused on British politics in the years prior to the Second World War.