Primrose League

Primrose League, organization founded in Britain in 1883 by two Conservative politicians, Sir Drummond Wolf and Lord Randolph Churchill. The League was ostensibly devoted to the cause of Tory democracy, and used the primrose, the favourite flower of Tory Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, as an emblem focusing on his style of Conservatism. This concept involved the defence of traditional elements of British life, and the desire to widen support for the Conservative Party by demonstrating its ability to improve the living and working conditions of the masses. The Primrose League quickly turned into a kind of Tory militia, organized in much the same way as a masonic lodge. Its main characteristics were local chapters, regional and national gatherings, officials with pompous titles, orders, and decorations, and it had a very powerful appeal to women. The Primrose League continued to be a force in British national politics until the outbreak of World War I; beginning with fewer than 1,000 members, by 1910 it had over 2 million.