What factors contributed to the rapid rise and subsequent collapse of the Social Democratic Party in British politics? Anthony King and Ivor Crewe, both established political scientists, utilize primary source archives and extensive interviews with key figures such as Roy Jenkins, David Owen, and Shirley Williams to reconstruct the party's trajectory. The authors provide a detailed analytical framework that examines the internal dynamics, strategic decisions, and external political pressures that defined the party's existence from 1981 to 1987.

Experts and political historians regard this work as the definitive account of the Social Democratic Party's history. Readers frequently note the meticulous research and the balanced, objective analysis of the internal conflicts that led to the party's demise.