| Benjamin Disraeli, First Earl of Beaconsfield | | | | landowners and hurt the poor. |
| (1804-81) was a great British statesman and | | | | While in Parliament, Disraeli became Chancellor of |
| novelist. He was born in London and came from a | | | | the Exchequer three times and then became the |
| Jewish family that had converted to Anglicanism. | | | | leader of the Commons (the lower house of the |
| He was a most ambitious and a larger than life | | | | British Parliament). In the latter role, he introduced |
| individual. He dressed in colorful clothes. He always | | | | the Reform Bill of 1867. |
| chose his words carefully and spoke only when he | | | | Disraeli served as prime minister of the United |
| had something memorable and witty to say. | | | | Kingdom for two terms - first, in 1868, and then, |
| He began life working for three years in a | | | | later and more extensively, in the period 1874-80. |
| lawyer's office. He then - unsuccessfully - tried to | | | | During his second prime ministership, he promoted |
| start a newspaper. | | | | British imperialism (that is, the extension of the |
| His first big breakthrough was when he achieved | | | | British Empire) and a forward foreign policy. In |
| fame and success as a popular novelist. His first | | | | 1876 he passed legislation conferring on Queen |
| novel was Vivian Grey (1826). The most famous | | | | Victoria a new title: Empress of India. |
| of his many novels were perhaps his two political | | | | Disraeli led Britain into the Second Afghan War |
| novels, Coningsby (1844) and Sibyl (1845). | | | | (1878-79) and into the Zulu War (1879), and he |
| Disraeli joined the Conservative Party and in 1837 | | | | sought to lessen the power and influence of |
| he entered the British Parliament as the member | | | | Russia. |
| for Maidstone. | | | | He showed much skillful diplomacy in protecting |
| His first speech to Parliament was heckled by | | | | Britain's foreign interests. He stopped a war |
| other Members of Parliament who disliked his | | | | between Russia and Turkey by sending a British |
| flowery manner of speaking and his colorful | | | | fleet to the Dardenelles. By such measures he |
| clothing. In concluding his speech, he made the | | | | checked Russian imperialism in Turkey and the |
| famous reply: "Though I sit down now, the time | | | | Balkans. |
| will come when you will hear me." | | | | In the 1878 Congress of Berlin, Disraeli |
| He became the leader of the Young England | | | | successfully promoted a treaty that was most |
| movement, which was home to that section of | | | | favorable to Britain. He persuaded Otto von |
| the Conservatives known as the Romantic Tories. | | | | Bismarck, the German Chancellor, to support his |
| The Romantic Tories were political conservatives | | | | treaty and its clauses keeping Russia out of the |
| who were critical of the effects of the Industrial | | | | Mediterranean Sea. His treaty, which restricted |
| Revolution that were occurring in Great Britain at | | | | the power of Britain's opponent, Russia, incidentally |
| that time. They believed that the monarchy and | | | | contributed to European peace at that time and |
| the church were the natural protectors of the | | | | was praised by Bismarck for doing so. |
| agricultural and industrial working classes and were | | | | During his second administration, Britain became |
| suspicious of the Industrial Revolution's tendency | | | | half-owner, with Egypt, of the Suez Canal (1875). |
| to destroy the traditional protections and | | | | This move gave Britain power over Egypt and, |
| obligations which had been in place in Britain since | | | | more importantly, over the Suez Canal, that vital |
| time immemorial. | | | | but vulnerable component in the new shorter and |
| He also opposed the free trade policies of his | | | | quicker route between Britain and its colonies in |
| fellow Conservative, Sir Robert Peel. Peel | | | | Asia, East Africa and the Pacific Ocean. |
| engineered the repeal of the Corn Laws | | | | Disraeli also passed legislation codifying and |
| (1845-46), which controlled the price of wheat and | | | | extending certain social reforms - for example, |
| of other types of grain via the imposition of | | | | slum clearance and urban renewal, the Public |
| protective tariffs on the import of foreign grain. | | | | Health Act of 1875, and more rights to workers |
| Instead, Disraeli favored protectionism to protect | | | | to join trade unions and promote their interests. |
| British agriculture and industry. In later days, | | | | However, it should be noted that many of these |
| Disraeli stopped supporting protectionism to a | | | | measures had been originally initiated under the |
| large extent, having come to the view that the | | | | administration of Disraeli's predecessor and great |
| Corn Laws had mostly favored the interests of | | | | rival, the Liberal William Gladstone. |