Benjamin Disraeli

Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881) was a British Conservative politician, novelist, and twice prime minister. He led the government during the expansion of the British Empire and the passage of major social reforms.

William Ewart Gladstone: A British Liberal statesman who served as prime minister four times and was Disraeli’s chief political rival. Their contrasting policies and public styles defined British party politics for decades.
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom: The head of the UK government, appointed by the monarch and usually the leader able to command House of Commons support. Disraeli held this office in 1868 and from 1874 to 1880.
Young England: A group of young Tory politicians in the 1840s who advocated social reform and a renewed bond between aristocracy and people. Disraeli helped shape its politics and expressed its ideals in fiction.
Suez Canal: An artificial waterway in Egypt connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea. Disraeli’s government bought a controlling interest in the canal company’s shares for Britain in 1875.
Queen Victoria: Queen of the United Kingdom from 1837 to 1901 and empress of India from 1876. Disraeli cultivated a close relationship with Victoria, who valued his courtly attention and advice.
Conservative Party (UK): A major British political party founded in the nineteenth century, also known historically as the Tory Party. Disraeli reshaped the party into a national electoral force and led it through two ministries.
Coningsby: An 1844 novel by Benjamin Disraeli about a young aristocrat’s political education and the condition of Britain. Its fictional arguments helped present Disraeli’s vision of a rejuvenated Conservative politics.
Royal Navy: The United Kingdom’s naval warfare service, with origins dating to the sixteenth century. Disraeli ordered a fleet to the eastern Mediterranean during the 1878 crisis over the Russo-Turkish War.
Robert Peel: A British Conservative prime minister whose repeal of the Corn Laws split his party in 1846. Peel’s policy reversal helped propel Disraeli into leadership of the protectionist Conservatives.
Reform Act 1867: A British statute that substantially expanded the urban male electorate in England and Wales. Disraeli’s Conservative government steered the act through Parliament, widening the franchise.

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