Parties, Voters and Political Change in Early Twentieth-Century Manchester: Reconnecting Politics and Society

Abstract

Abstract In the wake of the linguistic turn the ‘new political history’ has recognized the importance of both political language and social context. In practice, however, over recent years much political history of the pre-1918 period has become increasingly focused on language and party, relegating society and economy to the margins. This study emphasizes the interconnectedness of party politics and society, arguing that smaller municipal electoral districts offer potential new insights into the impact of religion, class, gender and ethnicity upon both, party policy and practice, and voter behaviour. Parties adapted their campaign strategies and policy stances to reflect their understanding of the social make-up of local electorates. Voter responses to party campaigns could be strongly influenced, but not determined, by individual or group perceptions of social standing. By exploring the connected fortunes of all three major parties new light is shed on the development of local political culture before 1914. The article also assesses the shifting strengths and weaknesses of Conservative, Liberal, and Labour parties, and contributes to historiographical debates on the politics of slum and suburban communities, and the pre-war trajectories of the major parties.