Conservatism and the Politics of Nationhood

Abstract

To understand the contemporary significance of the politics of nationhood in British Conservative politics, it is important to briefly trace its historical and ideological roots, noting the opportunities and constraints the politics of nationhood has provided for the Conservative Party. The Conservative Party is often depicted as having enjoyed a predominance over the politics of nationhood during the last hundred years. The party’s status and self-image as a national party became a central element of Conservative statecraft, while Conservatives also developed a coherent account of the nation and state patriotism, and made effective use of patriotic discourse. This appropriation of the politics of nationhood occurred under Disraeli’s leadership, when the Conservatives became identified as the patriotic party supporting national institutions, the Union and Empire. Disraeli’s legacy was a One Nation strategy which ensured the political success of the Conservative Party in a new era of democratic politics. Recent historical research has, however, noted that conservative state patriotism was not the only significant political expression of patriotism. Disputes within Conservative politics about the appropriate national strategy — for example, over tariff reform, Ireland or withdrawal from Empire — meant that the politics of nationhood often proved problematic territory for Conservatives.1