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The Reform Act of 1918 : the advent of democracy / Stuart Ball -- The Conservative Party and the impact of the 1918 Reform Act / Stuart Ball -- The Liberal Party and the impact of the 1918 Reform Act / Gavin Freeman -- The Labour Party and the impact of the 1918 Reform Act / Chris Wrigley -- The impact of the 1918 Reform Act on the politics of the West Midlands / Ian Cawood -- The 1918 Reform Act : redistribution and Scottish politics / Ewen A. Cameron -- The impact of the 1918 Reform Act in Ireland / John Coakley -- The impact of the 1918 Reform Act on the House of Commons / Martin Farr -- The British press and the 1918 Reform Act / Adrian Bingham -- Women and the vote : the parliamentary path to equal franchise, 1918-28 / Mari Takayanagi -- Chronology of the 1918 Reform Act

The history of the Conservative Party during the first half of the twentieth century was marked by crisis and controversy, from Joseph Chamberlain's tariff reform campaign through the Lloyd George coalition and the National Government between the wars to the defeat of 1945 and the post war recovery. This study provides a lucid account of this turbulent and formative period in the history of the most durable and adaptive force in modern British politics.

Whilst serving in the prestigious post of Viceroy of India (1926-1931), Lord Irwin (later the Earl of Halifax) was kept informed about political events in Britain by frequent letters from shrewd political insiders. These private and previously unpublished letters offer a frank account from within the highest political circles of the Baldwin government (1924-29) and the serious crisis in the Conservative Party which followed (1929-31). Of great depth and richness, this collection is an essential historical source for British history between the two World Wars.

AbstractBefore the First World War, the Conservative Party feared the extension of the suffrage to all adult males, and was divided over even a limited granting of votes to women. However, the patriotic public response to the war moderated these attitudes, and by 1916 the Conservatives were in favour of giving the vote to all servicemen. Although the Conservatives were represented in the Speaker's conference which drew up proposals for electoral reform, when its report was published in January 1917, these were almost entirely opposed by the party organisation. However, the Conservatives came to accept adult male suffrage as the only practicable way of recognizing the servicemen's contribution. During the passage of the electoral reform bill, they successfully amended it in several respects and secured gains from the redistribution of constituencies. This essay assesses the Conservative response to the reform proposals and the impact of the Representation of the People Act 1918 upon the party's fortunes, organisation, and culture. During the following decade, the Conservative Party made substantial efforts to reach the female, younger, and working‐class voters. While it was reassured by electoral success, and especially support from women, there remained concerns about the nature of democracy and demands from the grass roots for a defensive restoration of powers to the house of lords. However, by 1928, giving the vote to women on equal terms of adult citizenship was seen as the inevitable completion of the new electoral system – in which the Conservatives became the most successful party.