The Conservative Party in Wales, 1945-1997

Wales is often considered to be one of the most anti-Conservative parts of Britain, with the party unable to connect with voters. The Conservative Party in Wales, 1945–1997 offers a more nuanced perspective as the first book-length study of Wales’s second political party in the decades after the Second World War. From the places where Conservatism was often successful, the book questions why it failed to find any purchase in other parts of Wales, discussing how the party communicated its policies, who its candidates were, and how the party deliberately crafted specific policies ‘for the nation’ – from introducing the first Minister for Welsh Affairs to making Welsh a compulsory subject in schools. Adopting an holistic approach to the party, the book scrutinises activists and prominent Tories at the grassroots, asking what they reveal about understudied aspects of Welsh history, particularly the lives of the Anglicised and socially conservative middle class.

‘Drawing on an impressive range of interview, newspaper, and archival material, the author paints a nuanced and complex picture of the forgotten world of Welsh Conservatism. A fascinating and important book.’

Richard Toye, Professor of History, University of Exeter and author of Age of Hope: Labour, 1945, and the Birth of Modern Britain

‘Exploiting an impressive range of sources, both from the bottom up and the top down, Blaxland argues persuasively that the Tories haven't simply hung on in Wales. Rather, they have contributed in often crucial ways to the principality's political culture and development. In so doing, he adds greatly to our understanding of the Conservative Party not only in Wales but in the UK as a whole.’

Tim Bale, Professor of Politics at Queen Mary University of London and author of The Conservatives since 1945