Most existing accounts of the British Liberal Party are written within the context of the party's decline. The passage of the twentieth century, however, enables a fresh view to be taken, which recognizes that the party has now been strengthening its position for more than forty years and has once again become a major player in British politics. This survey of British Liberalism from the era of Campbell-Bannerman to that of Charles Kennedy reviews existing literature while offering its own distinctive perspective.
David Dutton is Professor of Modern History at the University of Liverpool.