Conservative Party

Conservative Party, one of the two major political parties in Great Britain. The second major political party is the Labor Party. The Conservative Party succeeded the Tory Party that appeared in the late 1600s. Benjamin Disraeli, a founder of the Conservative Party, strongly supported imperialism and advocated rights for the working class. In recent history, the Conservative Party has been in control of the British government since 1979. As head of the Conservative Party 1979–90, Margaret Thatcher became the first woman prime minister in British history. She was succeeded by Conservative John Major. At the general elections in 1997 the Conservative Party achieved the worst loss of seats since 1832. As a result, Major resigned as party leader.

See also: Disraeli, Benjamin.