Why was benjamin disraeli famous

That Disraeli was somewhat reckless with money was confirmed in the eyes of many when a brief spell as Chancellor of the Exchequer produced a budget whose sums were swiftly ripped apart across the dispatch box by the rather more financially numerate Gladstone. It was, however, the charge of political opportunism that was to dog Disraeli most throughout his career.

He, for instance, opposed the cause of free trade in the s, helping to bring down the Tory prime minister, Sir Robert Peel, and split the party over the issue. Disraeli ultimately lost the argument and went on to swiftly abandon the fight for protectionism. On the other great issue which roiled British politics throughout the 19th century — the extension of the voting franchise — Disraeli took a similarly opportunistic stance.

The result — the Reform Act — doubled the size of the electorate and gave urban working-class men the vote. In truth, he had done the Tories a favor. Disraeli knew that it was politically hazardous for the party to be seen as die-hard opponents of reform. He also knew that the Tories were more likely to limit any potential electoral damage the new measures might inflict upon them if they were in the legislative driving seat.

It is, though, perhaps better viewed as a reflection of his pragmatism. In the general election fought under the new franchise, the Tories were slain and the new prime minister ejected from Downing Street after just 10 months in office. In , he led the Tories back to power: sweeping gains enabled the party to win its first parliamentary majority in three decades. The division between rich and poor and the consequent threat of class politics, Disraeli believed, were dangerous and the Tory party should seek to heal it.

It is not a confederation of nobles, it is not a democratic multitude; it is a party formed from all the numerous classes in the realm. Principle and electoral calculation combined to produce a raft of social legislation — on health, housing, education and employment — which began tackling the problems of the slums and poor sanitation and strengthened the rights of workers against their employers by legalizing peaceful picketing.

Despite his deep patriotism, Disraeli was the subject of vicious anti-Semitic attacks from his political opponents. They charged that his failure as Prime Minister to do more to protect Christians in the Balkans from massacres by their Ottoman masters stemmed from his Jewish roots.

But that belief also necessitated knowing when it is best to reform in order to preserve. In Streetwise Hebrew for the Times of Israel Community, each month we learn several colloquial Hebrew phrases around a common theme. These are bite-size audio Hebrew classes that we think you'll really enjoy. This month, we're learning phrases on the topic of strength and power.

Ready to get tough with us? Facebook Twitter email Print. Public domain. Tory head and British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli, circa A statue of Benjamin Disraeli in Aylesbury. He went on to produce an anonymously-written satirical novel, Vivian Grey, which caricatured a former business partner. Success, however, turned to slander when his authorship was revealed.

The stress caused by this, and by his continuing debts, drove him to suffer a nervous breakdown. Disraeli was elected to represent Maidstone as a Peelite in He was then elected to represent Shrewsbury in , and came to be regarded as witty and able.

But Peel failed to offer Disraeli a place in the Cabinet - and Disraeli never forgot it. After defeat by the Liberals at the next election, his position as Conservative leader was at risk. Yet he carried on. The contrast in their physical appearances and their styles was stark, and the hatred was strong. Disraeli became Prime Minister once again in , aged This was a successful premiership, though it has been said that the legislation of this time depended much less upon Dizzy himself than upon his Cabinet colleagues.

The premiership saw the passing of a large amount of social legislation: the Climbing Boys Act reinforced the ban on employing juvenile chimney sweeps; the Artisans Dwelling Act allowed local authorities to destroy slums, though this was voluntary, and provided housing for the poor. In the same year the Public Health Act provided sanitation such as running water and refuse disposal.

Foreign policy became increasingly important, especially the Eastern Question following Turkish atrocities against the Bulgarians. In February, , Disraeli proposed the equalization of the town and county franchise. This would have resulted in some men in towns losing the vote and was opposed by the Liberals. An amendment proposed by Lord John Russell "condemning this disfranchisement" was passed by to Derby dissolved Parliament, and the ensuing General Election resulted in modest Tory gains, but not enough to control the House of Commons.

Derby resigned, and Lord Palmerston , became Prime Minister, and Disraeli once more lost his position in the government.

Palmerson was opposed to parliamentary reform, and with his lack of support, the measure did not become law. William Gladstone , the new leader of the Liberal Party , made it clear that like Lord Russell, he was also in favour of increasing the number of people who could vote.

Although the Conservative Party had opposed previous attempts to introduce parliamentary reform, Lord Derby's new government were now sympathetic to the idea. The Conservatives knew that if the Liberals returned to power, Gladstone was certain to try again. Disraeli "feared that merely negative and confrontational responses to the new forces in the political nation would drive them into the arms of the Liberals and promote further radicalism" and decided that the Conservative Party had to change its policy on parliamentary reform.

Benjamin Disraeli argued that the Conservatives were in danger of being seen as an anti-reform party. In Disraeli proposed a new Reform Act. Robert Gascoyne-Cecil , later 3rd Marquess of Salisbury resigned in protest against this extension of democracy. However, as he explained this had nothing to do with democracy: "We do not live - and I trust it will never be the fate of this country to live - under a democracy. On 21st March, , William Gladstone made a two hour speech in the House of Commons , exposing in detail the inconsistencies of the bill.

On 11th April Gladstone proposed an amendment which would allow a tenant to vote whether or not he paid his own rates. Forty-three members of his own party voted with the Conservatives and the amendment was defeated. Gladstone was so angry that apparently he contemplated retirement to the backbenches.

However, Disraeli did accept an amendment from Grosvenor Hodgkinson , which added nearly half a million voters to the electoral rolls, therefore doubling the effect of the bill. Gladstone commented: "Never have I undergone a stronger emotion of surprise than when, as I was entering the House, our Whip met me and stated that Disraeli was about to support Hodgkinson's motion. On 20th May , John Stuart Mill , the Radical MP for Westminster , and the leading male supporter in favour of women's suffrage , proposed that women should be granted the same rights as men.

During the debate on the issue, Edward Kent Karslake , the Conservative MP for Colchester , said in the debate that the main reason he opposed the measure was that he had not met one woman in Essex who agreed with women's suffrage.

Lydia Becker , Helen Taylor and Frances Power Cobbe , decided to take up this challenge and devised the idea of collecting signatures in Colchester for a petition that Karslake could then present to parliament.

They found women resident in the town willing to sign the petition and on 25th July, , Karslake presented the list to parliament. Despite this petition the Mill amendment was defeated by votes to Gladstone voted against the amendment. Other amendments were accepted: Out went the "dual vote" which allowed people with property to vote in town and country.

The clause that would give extra votes for people with savings or education. So did the requirement that ratepayers would need to show two years' residence - the condition was reduced to one year. Robert Cecil , 3rd Marquis of Salisbury, complained that "all the precautions, guarantees, and securities in the Bill" had disappeared. He told Disraeli: "You are afraid of the pot boiling over.

At the first threat of battle you throw your standard in the mud". Benjamin Disraeli dismissed these points by right-wing members of his party, by claiming that this reform will guarantee peace in the years to come: "England is safe in the race of men who inhabit her, safe in something much more precious than her accumulated capital - her accumulated experience.

She is safe in her national character, in her fame and in that glorious future which I believe awaits her. William Gladstone decided not to take part in the debate on the third reading of the bill as he feared it would have a negative reaction: "A remarkable night. Determined at the last moment not to take part in the debate: for fear of doing mischief on our own side. The House of Lords also agreed to pass the Reform Act.

The Reform Act gave the vote to every male adult householder living in a borough constituency. This gave the vote to about 1,, men. The Reform Act also dealt with constituencies and boroughs with less than 10, inhabitants lost one of their MPs. The forty-five seats left available were distributed by: i giving fifteen to towns which had never had an MP; ii giving one extra seat to some larger towns - Liverpool , Manchester , Birmingham and Leeds ; iii creating a seat for the University of London; iv giving twenty-five seats to counties whose population had increased since A few days later William Gladstone , the leader of the Liberal Party, moved and carried a bill to abolish compulsory church rates, an issue which united radicals, libertarians, nonconformists and those Anglicans unwilling to defend the status-quo.

Gladstone followed this by carrying with a majority of sixty-five votes the first of three resolutions to abolish the Anglican establishment in Ireland. By taking this action Gladstone was able to heal the divisions in the Liberal Party, that had been divided over the issue of parliamentary reform. Gladstone later argued that the decision publicly to advocate Irish disestablishment was an example of "a striking gift" endowed on him by Providence, which enabled him to identify a question whose moment for public discussion and action had come.

Henry Labouchere , a fellow Liberal MP, responded by saying that he "did not object to the old man always having a card up his sleeve, but he did object to his insinuating that the Almighty had placed it there. More than a million votes were cast in the General Election.

This was nearly three times the number of people who voted in the previous election. The Liberals won seats against the of the Conservatives. Robert Blake believes the Irish issue was an important factor in Gladstone's victory. The Liberals did especially well in the cities because of the "existence of a large Irish immigrant population". Out of office Disraeli resumed his career as a novelist. As Duncan Watts has pointed out: "Generally he was content to sit back and allow his arch enemy to make mistakes, and there was some dissatisfaction within the Party at his lack of positive leadership.

Attempts were made to replace him with the Earl of Derby, son of the old Prime Minister, but he withstood the challenge. Three members of the commission, Frederic Harrison , Thomas Hughes and Thomas Anson , 2nd Earl of Lichfield, refused to sign the Majority Report as they considered it hostile to trade unions.

They therefore published a Minority Report where he argued that trade unions should be given privileged legal status. This act secured the legal status of trade unions.

As a result of this legislation no trade union could be regarded as criminal because "in restraint of trade"; trade union funds were protected. Although trade unions were pleased with this act, they were less happy with the Criminal Law Amendment Act passed the same day that made picketing illegal.

Working class males now formed the majority in most borough constituencies. However, employers were still able to use their influence in some constituencies because of the open system of voting. In parliamentary elections people still had to mount a platform and announce their choice of candidate to the officer who then recorded it in the poll book. Employers and local landlords therefore knew how people voted and could punish them if they did not support their preferred candidate.

In William Gladstone removed this intimidation when his government brought in the Ballot Act which introduced a secret system of voting. Paul Foot points out: "At once, the hooliganism, drunkenness and blatant bribery which had marred all previous elections vanished.

Gladstone became very unpopular with the working-classes when his government passed the Licensing Act. This restricted the closing times in public houses to midnight in towns and 11 o'clock in country areas. Local authorities now had the power to control opening times or to become completely "dry" banning all alcohol in the area.

This led to near riots in some towns as people complained that the legislation interfered with their personal liberty. Benjamin Disraeli made constant attacks on Gladstone and his government. In one speech in Manchester that lasted three and quarter hours he said that the government was losing its energy. He was suggesting that Gladstone, now aged 62, was too old for the job. You behold a row of exhausted volcanoes. Not a flame flickers from a single pallid crest".

On 9th August , Gladstone replaced Robert Lowe and became his own chancellor of the exchequer. Gladstone sought to regain the political initiative by a daring and dramatic financial plan: "abolition of Income Tax and Sugar Duties with partial compensation from Spirits and Death Duties". To balance the books he also needed some defence savings. However, the army and navy cabinet ministers refused.

Gladstone became very disillusioned with politics and considered resigning. Gladstone wrote in his diary on 18th January, "On this day I thought of dissolution". My first thought of it was an escape from a difficulty. I soon saw on reflection that it was the best thing in itself. As the prime minister, Benjamin Disraeli now had the opportunity to the develop the ideas that he had expressed when he was leader of the Young England group in the s.

Disraeli also kept his promise to improve the legal position of trade unions. The Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act allowed peaceful picketing and the Employers and Workmen Act enabled workers to sue employers in the civil courts if they broke legally agreed contracts.

Early in his career Disraeli was not a strong enthusiast for building up the British Empire and had described colonies as "millstones around our neck" and had argued that the Canadians should "defend themselves" and that British troops should be withdrawn from Africa. However, once he became prime-minister he changed his view on the subject. He was especially interested in India, with its population of over million.

It was also an outlet for British goods and a source of valuable imports such as raw cotton, tea and wheat. It is possible that he saw the Empire as an "issue on which to damage his opponents by impugning their patriotism". In one speech Disraeli attacked Liberals as being people who were not committed to the British Empire: "Gentlemen, there is another and second great object of the Tory party. If the first is to maintain the institutions of the country, the second is, in my opinion, to uphold the empire of England.