BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND THE PRIMROSE LEAGUE ... - ideals

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Between the years 1885 and 1888 the League established in the
political sphere, as in its organization structure, its essential
framework for a generation to come.
The key years were 1885 and 1886,
a time of rapid growth.
It was during this period that the League
developed its distinctive contribution to the Conservative cause,
serving as a continuous recruiter of potential voters for the party.
The rise and ultimate success of the Primrose League was
closely tied to Salisbury's policy of retrenchment and the actions of
the Conservative party.
The primary focus of the government was a
restricted one, largely confined to an emphasis on a strong national
and foreign presence, opposition to Irish Home Rule, and a limited
emphasis on domestic and social reforms.
Fears concerning the Liberal
policies of dismemberment and decline buoyed the fortunes of Salisbury,
his party, and the League, sustaining their position for almost twenty
years.
It was the party and the League's triumph during this crucial
period in the development of democratic institutions that proved so
influential
in shaping Conservative electoral practices in the
twentieth century.