The Conservative Party's periods in opposition have been of crucial importance. They have seen major changes in direction, and often been the springboard for recovering power. There have also been leadership crises and bitter divisions, and recovery was never inevitable. In the first study to examine the topic as a whole, leading authorities present new evidence and interpretations. The book makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the Conservative Party and of opposition in modern British politics.

STUART BALL is Reader in History at the University of Leicester. His publications include Baldwin and the Conservative Party (1988), The Conservative Party and British Politics 1902-1951 (1995), Winston Churchill (2003), and (with Anthony Seldon) Conservative Century: The Conservative Party since 1900 (1994).

ANTHONY SELDON is the Founding Director of the Institute of Contemporary British History and Headmaster of Brighton College, UK.