ABSTRACT
This chapter treats England in the twentieth century, which is the moment when Burke becomes the figure familiar to us, Burke the Conservative. The earlier part of this chapter addresses the transition from the Liberal to the Conservative Burke, the rise of Liberal Unionists who rebelled against Gladstone and were willing to move toward the Conservatives in order to block the Home Rule program. They invoked Burke’s name when speaking of Ireland as eagerly as did Gladstone. The mid-section of the chapter deals with Burke as a hero of the Conservative Party for much of the century. The latter part of the chapter is concerned with Burke’s fate in Thatcherite England, his possible demise, and asks whether there still exists a role for him to play.
