Sir Robert Peel: Statesmanship, Power and Party (Lancaster Pamphlets) Book

Sir Robert Peel's historical reputation is an esteemed one. Recent research, however, has cast doubt on both his political skill and on the extent to which he deserves credit for reviving the fortunes of the Tory party in the 1830s. In this book, Eric J. Evans argues that although Peel was an efficient administrator and a dominant political leader in the 1830s and 1840s, his arrogance, inflexibility, and anachronistic views of the prime minister's role were largely responsible for the break-up of the Conservative party in 1846, and its subsequent exclusion from government. Peel appreciated the importance of new forms of party organization after 1832, but proved remarkably insensitive in the 1840s to the attitudes and beliefs of the majority of his followers. The Conservative party which returned to office reflected old Tory values much more than the modern Conservatism which Peel espoused. Unfortunately, Peel was ill-attuned to party considerations, and his commitment to liberalism presented political problems which he was temperamentally and intellectually incapable of resolving. Ultimately, this study demonstrates, his executive and administrative gifts were greater than his political ones.Read More