Introduction

According to the Social Democrats, the people themselves would initiate and direct the desired change in a truly participatory and democratic internal party system, organized on the principle of one person, one vote. Two years after the birth of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the constitutional framer said that his experience in the party confirmed what he already knew about political organizations, that it is difficult if not impossible "to control the passions of ambitious politicians". The experience of the SDP shows how the character of internal party politics can shape the external electoral environment. Indeed, the British Social Democratic Party demonstrates why and how a party can lose from the inside even when it competes on the outside in the electoral arena. This chapter traces the life of the British Social Democratic Party from its birth in 1981 throughout its development, concluding with the party's decision to merge with the Liberals in the summer of 1987.