Benjamin Disraeli

Benjamin Disraeli
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Name	Benjamin Disraeli
Caption	Disraeli, c. 1878
Office	Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Term start	20 February 1874
Term end	21 April 1880
Monarch	Victoria
Predecessor	William Ewart Gladstone
Successor	William Ewart Gladstone
Term start2	27 February 1868
Term end2	1 December 1868
Monarch2	Victoria
Predecessor2	The Earl of Derby
Successor2	William Ewart Gladstone
Office3	Leader of the Opposition
Term start3	21 April 1880
Term end3	19 April 1881
Monarch3	Victoria
Predecessor3	William Ewart Gladstone
Successor3	The Marquess of Hartington
Term start4	1 December 1868
Term end4	17 February 1874
Monarch4	Victoria
Predecessor4	William Ewart Gladstone
Successor4	William Ewart Gladstone
Birth date	21 December 1804
Birth place	Bloomsbury, London, England
Death date	19 April 1881 (aged 76)
Death place	Curzon Street, Mayfair, London, England
Party	Conservative
Spouse	Mary Anne Lewis, 28 August 1839
Alma mater	None (informal education)
Religion	Church of England (converted from Judaism)

Benjamin Disraeli. A towering figure of the Victorian era, he served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice and was a foundational architect of the modern Conservative Party. Born into a Jewish family but later converting to Anglicanism, his flamboyant personality and rivalry with William Ewart Gladstone defined a generation of British politics. He is celebrated for his influential social reforms, assertive foreign policy, and the cultivation of a personal political romance with Queen Victoria.

Early life and education

Born in Bloomsbury, London, his father, the literary scholar Isaac D'Israeli, had his children baptised into the Church of England in 1817 following a dispute with their synagogue. He received a sporadic education, briefly attending a school in Blackheath run by Unitarian minister John Potticary, before his father removed him. His informal education was largely conducted through extensive reading in his father's library at the family home, Bradenham Manor in Buckinghamshire. In his late teens, he was articled to a firm of solicitors in Old Jewry, but his ambitions lay elsewhere, leading him to speculate disastrously in South American mining stocks and incur substantial debts.

Early political career

After unsuccessful attempts to enter Parliament, including contests in Wycombe and Taunton, he was finally elected as a Conservative MP for Maidstone in 1837. His maiden speech in the House of Commons was met with derision, but he famously retorted, "I will sit down now, but the time will come when you will hear me." He gradually gained influence, particularly through his association with the Young England movement, which he championed in novels like Coningsby. His political standing was secured by his support for Sir Robert Peel's government, though he later became a fierce critic of Peel over the repeal of the Corn Laws.

Prime Minister and domestic policy

His first brief premiership in 1868 was largely a caretaker administration following the resignation of The Earl of Derby. His second and significant ministry began in 1874. His government passed a wide range of social legislation aimed at improving the conditions of the working class, known as "Tory democracy". Key measures included the Artisans' and Labourers' Dwellings Improvement Act 1875, the Public Health Act 1875, the Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act 1875, and the Employers and Workmen Act 1875. This legislative program sought to demonstrate that the Conservative Party could be trusted with the interests of the people, countering the appeal of Gladstone's Liberalism.

Foreign policy and imperialism

In international affairs, he pursued a policy of assertive British prestige and imperialism. His most celebrated diplomatic achievement was the Congress of Berlin in 1878, where he negotiated a settlement to the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) that checked Russian expansion and preserved the Ottoman Empire, securing "peace with honour" for Britain. Prior to this, he had arranged for the British government to purchase a controlling interest in the Suez Canal from the Khedive of Egypt, a strategic masterstroke. In 1876, he passed the Royal Titles Act 1876, which proclaimed Queen Victoria as Empress of India, a move deeply symbolic of Britain's imperial destiny.

Literary career and writings

Alongside his political life, he was a prolific and popular novelist, using fiction to explore political ideas. His early "silver fork" novels like Vivian Grey were followed by the politically charged trilogy of Coningsby, Sybil, and Tancred, which laid out the philosophy of the Young England movement, critiquing utilitarianism and advocating for a renewed alliance between the aristocracy and the people. His later works, such as Lothair and Endymion, continued to blend political insight with social satire, providing him with a significant income and a public platform distinct from Parliament.

Legacy and memorials

He died at his home on Curzon Street in Mayfair in 1881 and was buried in the church at Hughenden Manor, his country estate in Buckinghamshire. His legacy is that of a principal founder of One-nation conservatism, emphasizing social reform and national unity. Memorials include a large monument in Parliament Square and a town in Australia named in his honour. His political rivalry with William Ewart Gladstone remains a defining narrative of Victorian political history, and his name is eternally linked with the expansion and celebration of the British Empire.

Category:British prime ministers Category:Victorian era Category:British novelists