Lord Hugh Cecil, commenting in 1912 on the British Conservative party's staying power, said the party's success was largely a matter of temperament, `recruited from ... the natural conservatism that is found in almost every human mind.' The Conservatives regarded the parties of the left as faddists or federations of pressure groups. Frans Coetzee argues that the emphasis is misplaced, for it obscures the extent to which Conservative pressure groups forced their party to adapt in Edwardian England. His book explores the Conservatives in transition during the two decades preceding the First World War, a period marked by the foundation of an unprecedented number of conservative pressure groups. The British Navy League, Tariff Reform League, Anti-Socialist Union, and myriad other groups changed the face of British conservatism, though not without much internal party conflict.
Reviews
'This book is a valuable and important addition to our understanding of Edwardian Conservatism' Martin Pugh, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, History February 1992
'Coetzee writes extremely well: the discussion is sharp, but balanced and thoughtful, and the argument is informed by a sceptical regard for the claims of all interested parties which makes the analysis all the more authoritative and convincing. The prose is lucid and the author has a keen eye for an effective turn of phrase ... This book is a valuable and important addition to our understanding of Edwardian Conservatism.' Martin Pugh, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, History Feb '92
'His account is the convincing view of an insider well on top of his subject.' John Ramsden Queen Mary & Westfield College, London EHR Shorter Notices April '94



Book Information
ISBN 9780195062380
Author Frans Coetzee
Format Hardback
Page Count 240
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 531g
Dimensions(mm) 154mm * 240mm * 21mm