ABSTRACT
The Heath government was a troubled period for the Conservative Party. This chapter is based upon the records of the Conservative Party Archive (CPA), Bodleian Library; of the National Union; of the 1922 Committee; of the regional Areas; and of c. 70 local constituency Associations. Conservative attitudes and aspirations shaped the policies devised in opposition before 1970 and the course which the government sought to follow; for that reason, the problems encountered were damaging to the morale and credibility not just of the leadership but of the Party as a whole. The Heath government saw the continuation of trends within the Conservative Party which had begun in the late 1950s and which have continued to the present day. The impact of the Heath government on the Conservative Party is much more visible: policy failure, parliamentary disunity, public disillusion, and two electoral defeats.
