Disraeli and Gladstone essays

Disraeli and Gladstone essays After the middle of the eighteenth century in Great Britain, a group of men beholding the ideas of the new age appeared on political scene. Men who from conviction or the need of votes for their parties were disposed to fulfill some demands for political reform. The two great political leaders who dominated this era were William Ewart Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli. Their different views helped guide England along the way to a form of Although the notoriety of most British prime ministers is short-lived, both Gladstone and Disraeli have never been forgotten. Disraeli, who began as a Liberal, eventually made his way to leadership in the Conservative (Tory) Party, while Gladstone, beginning as a Conservative, later on became the leader of the Liberal Party (Whigs). Both men were great speakers and parliamentarians, but while Disraeli was good with words, Gladstone was insensitive to the demands of style. The differences between the two men struck a strong feeling of mutual dislike and distrust. Gladstone's career spanned nearly the entire length of the nineteenth century. For more than sixty years he sat in Parliament, and he was four times prime minister. During the early part of his career he moved to the Liberal Party and became the champion of democracy and liberty. Disraeli on the other hand succeeded in lifting himself by intellect and determination to the highest position in England attainable by the effort of man. One of Disraeli's novels, Sybil (1845), was one of the influences which led to the elimination of many of the evils in the factory system. In 1852, Disraeli became the Chancellor of the Exchequer and leader of the House of Commons. He stuck to the ideals of the Conservative party: the maintenance of the Established Church and the aristocracy, the development of the empire, and the elevation of the masses. One of his greatest triumphs ...