Benjamin Disraeli
Also known as: 1st Earl of Beaconsfield Benjamin Disraeli · Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield, Viscount Hughenden of Hughenden Disraeli · Dizzy · Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield Disraeli · Lord Beaconsfield · Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield
- 1Disraeli served as Prime Minister in 1868 and again from 1874 to 1880.
- 2He is the only British Prime Minister to have been born into a Jewish family.
- 3He promoted one-nation conservatism, which emphasized social reform to prevent class conflict.
- 4His political career was marked by a famous and enduring rivalry with William Ewart Gladstone.
- 5He was a staunch supporter of the British Empire and used imperial expansion as a core element of his political platform.
Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, was a British statesman, Conservative politician and writer who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a central role in the creation of the modern Conservative Party, defining its policies and its broad outreach. Disraeli is remembered for his influential voice in world affairs, his political battles with the Liberal Party leader William Ewart…
Connections1
legislative facilitator
As Chancellor of the Exchequer, he steered the Metropolis Local Management Amendment Act through Parliament in 1858, providing the funding necessary to solve the crisis.
Benjamin Disraeli was a transformative figure in 19th-century British politics, serving twice as Prime Minister during the Victorian era. As a key architect of the modern Conservative Party, he shifted the political landscape by championing "one-nation conservatism," a philosophy that sought to bridge the gap between the classes and maintain social stability through reform and national pride.
John Murray and J. G. LockhartWikimedia Commons: File:John_Murray_b1788.jpgPortrait of Benjamin Disraeli by Francis Grant. Disraeli as a young man—a retrospective portrayal painted in 1852Wikimedia Commons: File:Francis_Grant_(1803-1878)_-_Benjamin_Disraeli_(1804–1881),_Earl_of_Beaconsfield,_PC,_FRS,_KG,_as_a_Young_Man_-_428984_-_National_Trust.jpgDisraeli's father, mother and sister— Isaac, Maria and SarahWikimedia Commons: File:Isaac-miriam-sarah-d'israeli-125px.jpg Disraeli is equally noted for his intense, decades-long rivalry with the Liberal leader William Ewart Gladstone. Their parliamentary clashes defined the political discourse of the time, reflecting deep ideological divides over domestic reform and foreign policy. Beyond his legislative achievements, Disraeli was a prolific novelist and a prominent advocate for the expansion of the British Empire, cementing his party's reputation as the primary defender of imperial interests.