The Conservative Party in the UK
Able to trace its origin back to the seventeenth century, the Conservative Party (also known as the "Tories") is one of the major United Kingdom political parties. The Conservative Party of today is not exactly the hard-right party of Margaret Thatcher, but has remained largely true to its conservative roots in successfully forming a coalition government with the Liberal Democrat Party and ousting then-Labor Party head Gordon Brown from the office of the Prime Minister. After thirteen years of Labor Party rule, the Conservatives are again in charge of the U.K. government.
The origins of the Conservative Party can be found in the history of the "Tory" party, which was organized in 1678 to oppose a bill that would have denied the English throne to James, Duke of York. Effectively, this bill was part of the struggle over whether the royal family or Parliament should be in charge of the country. This conflict had been going on for more or less the entire seventeenth century, and the "Tories" sided more with the future king than Parliament. However, by the end of the seventeenth century, King James II had shown himself as a supporter of religious toleration, which was anathema to many Tories. This ironically led some Tories to advocate for an increased role in Parliament, setting the stage for their presence as a Parliamentary force after the "Glorious Revolution" established the supremacy of the legislature over the King.
The Conservative Party began to emerge in its modern form with the appointment of William Pitt as the leader of Parliament in 1783. Many historians argue that his rise to power was a reaction to what was seen as a radical leftism demonstrated in the American and French Revolutions. The Conservative Party was formally organized under the leadership of Sir Robert Peel in 1834. The Tamworth Manifesto, written by Peel, warned of a dangerous "perpetual vortex of agitation," which is perhaps one of the clearest expressions of Conservative political philosophy. Generally, Conservatives believe that societal change is not necessarily bad, but that old institutions should be retained and the need for extensive change always questioned. (This is a bit ironic considering that "Tory" actually comes from a Middle Irish word for "outlaw.") This "manifesto" proved popular, and Peel became Prime Minister in 1841. However, a dispute over agricultural tariffs lead much of the Conservative party to split with Peel, and the portion of this party favorable to these tariffs is generally agreed to be the genesis of the Conservative Party of today.
The Conservatives remained in power through much of the second half of the nineteenth century, and the first half of the twentieth, guided by such luminaries as Benjamin Disraeli and Winston Churchill. The history of the Conservative party for most of us probably begins during the economic and social unrest of the United Kingdom in the 1970s, when the country was rocked by strikes, inflation, and "The Troubles" with Northern Ireland. Amid this chaos, "Iron Lady" Margaret Thatcher emerged to become Prime Minster in 1979. Thatcher was a doctrinaire conservative who pursued free-market economic policy and social conservatism, and is widely given credit for ending the troubled United Kingdom economic situation during her time in office. It is arguable that the next Prime Minister, John Major, effectively rode her coattails into 10 Downing Street, for a total 19 years of unbroken Tory rule.
The current Prime Minister, Conservative David Cameron, is considerably further to the left, especially on social issues, than Margaret Thatcher, and this does not appear to be by accident. It is arguable that the Conservatives have returned back to 10 Downing Street not so much due to the popularity of Conservative policies, but more because of dissatisfaction with the Labor Party and its longtime head, Tony Blair. This points to a longtime tension among members of the Conservative Party, many of whom would like to see more "pure" conservative reforms such as those implemented by Thatcher, as opposed to those who believe in a more "centrist" approach, such as Cameron. Regardless, however, the modern Conservative Party seems to be sticking to its historical role as a bulwark against unnecessary change and a guardian of the traditional institutions of the United Kingdom, even as it grapples with social and economic reforms demanded by the U.K. populace.
If you'd like some more background info, you could check out the following pages
