The Rise of Labour and the Political Culture of Conservatism, 1890–1945

Abstract

Growing dissatisfaction among scholars over a class–based approach to electoral change has exacerbated the problem of finding explanations for the rise of the Labour Party in Britain. This article is intended to open the way to a more satisfying overall treatment by altering the perspective on the subject. It argues for the necessity of taking full account, not simply of the Liberal and socialist traditions in the Labour movement, but of Labour’s capacity to adapt to the Conservative tradition at the level of ideas and electoral strategy.