The Earl of Beaconsfield
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Disraeli, photographed by Cornelius
Jabez
Hughes in 1878
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In office
20 February 1874 ? 21 April 1880
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Monarch
| Victoria
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Preceded by
| William Ewart Gladstone
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Succeeded by
| William Ewart Gladstone
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In office
27 February 1868 ? 1 December 1868
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Monarch
| Victoria
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Preceded by
| The Earl of Derby
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Succeeded by
| William Ewart Gladstone
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In office
21 April 1880 ? 19 April 1881
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Monarch
| Victoria
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Preceded by
| The Marquess of Hartington
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Succeeded by
| William Ewart Gladstone
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In office
1 December 1868 ? 17 February 1874
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Monarch
| Victoria
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Preceded by
| William Ewart Gladstone
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Succeeded by
| William Ewart Gladstone
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In office
6 July 1866 ? 29 February 1868
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Preceded by
| William Ewart Gladstone
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Succeeded by
| George Ward Hunt
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In office
26 February 1858 ? 11 June 1859
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Preceded by
| Sir George Cornewall Lewis
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Succeeded by
| William Ewart Gladstone
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In office
27 February 1852 ? 17 December 1852
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Preceded by
| Charles Wood
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Succeeded by
| William Ewart Gladstone
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Born
| (
1804-12-21
)
21 December 1804
Bloomsbury
,
Middlesex
, England
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Died
| 19 April 1881
(1881-04-19)
(aged 76)
Mayfair
,
London
, England
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Political party
| Conservative
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Spouse(s)
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Parents
| Isaac D'Israeli
Miriam Basevi
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Signature
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Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield
(21 December 1804 ? 19 April 1881), born
Benjamin D'Israeli
, was a British politician. He was
Chancellor of the Exchequer
in 1852, from 1858 to 1859 and from 1866 to 1868. He was
Prime Minister
of the
United Kingdom
in 1868 and from 1874 to 1880. His main opponent was
William Ewart Gladstone
. Disraeli was also a
novelist
and
biographer
.
Disraeli was born into a
Jewish
family which
converted
to
Anglicanism
. He is the only
prime minister
of
Jewish
heritage in British history.
[1]
He followed his father, and converted to
Anglicanism
at the age of 12.
Disraeli invented the idea of "One Nation" conservatism, designed to appeal to all ranks in society.
[2]
This is conservatism that values
paternalism
and
pragmatism
. Paternalism means looking after people, and pragmatism means it was practical not
ideological
. Disraeli wanted it to appeal to working-class men as a solution to worsening divisions in society. This idea was opposed to the Liberals (or "Whigs"), which was the party of the urban
elite
(moneyed and well-educated people in towns and cities).
Disraeli made the Conservatives the party that supported the
British Empire
and the military action to go with it. This was partly in reaction to Gladstone, who disliked the expense of empire, and partly because Disraeli knew it would be popular.
The 19th century saw the
Commons
gradually take over from the
Lords
. In the first half of the century the
prime minister
and most of the
cabinet
were
peers
, members of the House of Lords. By the late 19th century, the prime minister and most of the cabinet came from the House of Commons. This happened gradually, and perhaps the reform of
elections
helped make the Commons the more important chamber.
In Disraeli's first short period as prime minister, his government passed legislation which had wide support. It ended public executions, and the
Corrupt Practices Act
did much to end electoral
bribery
. The government used an early version of
nationalisation
: the Post Office bought up the
telegraph
companies. There were changes to the school law, the Scottish legal system, and the railway laws were passed.
[3]
Disraeli's second government was from 1874 to 1880. The 12 cabinet members were equally divided between the Commons and Lords. His government passed a number of laws to improve the life and working conditions of ordinary people.
Also, he arranged for Britain to buy the
Suez Canal
, which was until then a private company. The canal was critical to Britain because it was the short route between the UK and
British India
. Disraeli got news that the
Khedive of Egypt
,
Ismail Pasha
, was planning to sell his shares in the canal company. Disraeli arranged for the banker Lionel de Rothschild to loan the funds to the government. Rothschild took a commission on the deal, and the Disraeli went to Queen Victoria saying, "it is settled; you have it, madam!".
[4]
Disraeli was made Earl of Beaconsfield by Victoria in 1876.
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