The primary objective of Maguire's study is to consider the evolution of women's role in the Conservative Party since the time of Disraeli and try to assess whether it has always been one of progress. To do this she examines not only the attitude of women to the party and the official attitude of the party towards women but also the degree of acceptance that Conservative men have shown towards women members. It considers women at all levels, from that of the voter to the grassroots organization to national politics.

Autorentext

G.E. MAGUIRE studied at St Antony's College, Oxford where she received a doctorate in Modern British History. From 1990-93 she taught at the University of Paris-Sorbonne, and is currently Lecturer in British Studies at the University of Paris XII-Val de Marne. She is also the author of Anglo-American Policy towards the Free French, an analysis of relations between the two major western allies and Charles de Gaulle's movement during World War II.

Inhalt

Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations Introduction PART ONE: BEFORE THE VOTE Women in the Political Background The Primrose League The Conservative Party and the Campaign for Women's Suffrage PART TWO: THE BEGINNING OF OVERT POLITICAL POWER The Party Mobilizes for Women From Domesticity to War, 1928-1945 PART THREE: WOMEN AND THE POSTWAR CONSERVATIVE PARTY The Conservative Party and Women Voters, 1945-1975 Women in the Conservative Party Organization, 1945-1975 Conservative Women in Parliament, 1945-1975 A Woman Leader and Beyond, 1975-1997 Conclusion Bibliography