This summer, following the internal wrangling that occurred in most parties following the Brexit referendum, we’ve been taking a look at historic cases of party division. In today’s blog, Dr Philip Salmon, Editor of the Victorian Commons, discusses the impact of two major splits within the Tory and Conservative parties during the 19th century…
In modern Britain we are not used to political parties splitting apart. There are always ongoing rifts and schisms, but the idea of our parties completely breaking up is alien to most of us. This has not always been the case. In the 19th century, the division of parties and the wholesale realignment of politicians were regular and essential parts of political life. Indeed without them, many of the developments associated with the emergence of Britain’s modern parliamentary system would simply not have taken place.
Take the 1832 Reform Act. Long regarded as…
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Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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