British party politics, 1852-1886
By: Angus Hawkins.
Publisher: Macmillan Press; St. Martin's Press
Published: 1998
Place of publication: Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 335
Subjects: Political parties -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century.; Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1837-1901.
Description: Synthesising the latest research, this new and readable overview of British party clinics from 1852 to 1886 charts the important transition from mid-Victorian parliamentary government to the modern British party system.

Angus Hawkins explores the changing function of political parties, parliamentary leadership, constituency organisation and their relations with a widening electorate, both before and after the 1867 and 1884 Reform Acts. The Liberal and Conservative governments of this period are reassessed and the impact of prominent individuals such as Lord Palmerston, Lord Derby, William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli examined.

Concluding with the great Liberal schism over Irish Home Rule in 1886, the author describes how the demise of parliamentary government made way for a national party system which provided the constitutional context for modern British politics.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 309-316) and index.