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The Conservative Party in the age of Liberal ascendancy, 1846–1874

How did the Conservative Party, so dominant in the political landscape of the early nineteenth century, endure such a sharp decline from 1846? This article tracks the origins of its breakdown and the steps which eventually returned the party to power

Robert Peel

The Conservative Party had been in office for almost unbroken 47 years until 1830 and seemed, after the Great Reform Act of 1832, to have adapted to the new political environment. Under the leadership of Sir Robert Peel, they won the 1841 general election. In 1846, however, the issue of the Corn Laws split the party and it entered into its longest period in the political wilderness in modern British history. This article examines why this was, and how it was able to regain credibility as a political party and win the 1874 general election, under the idiosyncratic leadership of Benjamin Disraeli.

AQA 1F Industrialisation and the people: Britain, 1783–1885

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The printing press

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Voices of the First World War

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