The 1992 General Election and the British Party System

THE BRITISH GENERAL ELECTION, HELD ON 9 APRIL 1992, resulted in a victory for the Conservatives, their fourth successive victory. This was the first occasion in Britain on which a single party had won four successive general elections since the Napoleonic era. At first sight, admittedly, this victory may not seem particularly striking. The Conservatives gained an overall majority of only 21 seats, the lowest Conservative overall majority this century, except for 1951, and the Conservative share of the vote in the United Kingdom — 41.9 per cent — is the lowest gained by any Conservative government this century, with the exception of 1922.