Palmerston politics : a study of a single electorate, 1905-11 : a research exercise presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honours in History at Massey University

Abstract

The Liberal enigma - a massive victory in 1905 to defeat seven years later - has proved fascinating for historians particularly those at Auckland University in the 1950's and 1960's. The work produced varied from studies of the Dominion as a whole to those of a particular region. It seems logical to take this one step further and to analyse a single electorate. The advantage of a single electorate study appears to lie in observing national politics at its lowest denominator. The question is, did the politics of Palmerston centre on localism, local figures and local concerns, or on party politics and its cohesion and discipline. [From Introduction]