Benjamin Disraeli

Lore & Background

Disraeli was born in Bloomsbury, then part of Middlesex. His father left Judaism after a dispute at his synagogue; Benjamin became an Anglican at age 12. After several unsuccessful attempts, he entered the House of Commons in 1837. In 1846, Prime Minister Robert Peel split the party over his proposal to repeal the Corn Laws, and Disraeli clashed with Peel, becoming a major figure in the party. When Lord Derby thrice formed governments in the 1850s and 1860s, Disraeli served as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leader of the House of Commons. Upon Derby's retirement in 1868, Disraeli became prime minister briefly before losing that year's general election. He returned to opposition before leading the party to a majority in the 1874 general election. He maintained a close friendship with Queen Victoria, who elevated him to the peerage as Earl of Beaconsfield in 1876.

Disraeli's second term was dominated by the Eastern question—the slow decay of the Ottoman Empire and the desire of other European powers, such as Russia, to gain at its expense. He arranged for the British to purchase a major interest in the Suez Canal Company in Egypt. In 1878, faced with Russian victories against the Ottomans, he worked at the Congress of Berlin to obtain peace in the Balkans at terms favourable to Britain and unfavourable to Russia. This diplomatic victory established Disraeli as one of Europe's leading statesmen. World events thereafter moved against the Conservatives; controversial wars in Afghanistan and South Africa undermined his public support, and he angered farmers by refusing to reinstitute the Corn Laws in response to poor harvests and cheap imported grain. With Gladstone conducting a massive speaking campaign, the Liberals defeated Disraeli's Conservatives at the 1880 general election. In his final months, Disraeli led the Conservatives in opposition. He wrote novels throughout his career, beginning in 1826, and published his last completed novel, Endymion, shortly before he died at age 76.

Reader's Guide

Benjamin Disraeli's significance lies in his central role in shaping the modern Conservative Party and defining its policies, particularly his one-nation conservatism or 'Tory democracy'. He made the Conservatives the party most identified with the British Empire and military expansion, which resonated with British voters. His diplomatic victory at the Congress of Berlin in 1878 established him as a leading European statesman. Disraeli's political battles with Liberal leader William Ewart Gladstone defined an era of British politics. He is also notable as the only British prime minister born into a Jewish family. His legacy includes the purchase of a major interest in the Suez Canal Company and his influence on world affairs. Despite later setbacks from controversial wars and agricultural policy, his impact on the Conservative Party and British imperialism endured.

Did You Know?

• Disraeli is the only British prime minister to have been born into a Jewish family.
• He became an Anglican at the age of 12 after his father left Judaism.
• He arranged for the British to purchase a major interest in the Suez Canal Company in Egypt.
• He published his last completed novel, Endymion, shortly before he died at age 76.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Cathedral High Mass. Clouds of incense and one of Mozart's sublimest masses by an orchestra before which San Carlo might grow pale. The effect inconceivably grand. The host raised, and I flung myself on the ground." — Benjamin Disraeli "[I]n speaking of Italy, romance has omitted for once to exaggerate." — Benjamin Disraeli "I declare that England, with all her imperfections, is worth all the world together, and I hope it is not misanthropy when I feel that I love lakes and mountains better than courts and cities, and trees better than men." — Benjamin Disraeli "I suppose, to use our national motto, something will turn up." — Benjamin Disraeli