query: When was Benjamin Disraeli prime minister?

title: Premierships of Benjamin Disraeli

text: Premierships of Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli was the Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on two separate occasions, first in 1868 and then between 1874 and 1880. In February 1868 the Prime Minister, The Earl of Derby, received medical advice which told him that he could not fully recover from his illness whilst Premier. He therefore asked Benjamin Disraeli (who was Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time) if he was ready to be Premier. Disraeli said yes, telling his friends, "I have climbed to the top of the greasy pole". However his political position was weak—a caretaker in

title: Premierships of Benjamin Disraeli

text: was exacerbated by the worst harvest of the century in Britain in 1879. The party in power, of course, got the blame, and Liberals repeatedly emphasized the growing budget deficit as a measure of bad stewardship. In the election itself, Disraeli's party lost heavily up and down the line, especially in Scotland and Ireland, and in the urban boroughs. His Conservative strength fell from 351 to 238, while the Liberals jump from 250 to 353. Disraeli resigned on 21 April 1880. Premierships of Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli was the Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on two separate occasions,

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: relationship with Victoria, probably closer to her than any of her Prime Ministers except her first, Lord Melbourne. When Disraeli returned as Prime Minister in 1874 and went to kiss hands, he did so literally, on one knee; and, according to Richard Aldous in his book on the rivalry between Disraeli and Gladstone, "for the next six years Victoria and Disraeli would exploit their closeness for mutual advantage." Victoria had long wished to have an imperial title, reflecting Britain's expanding domain. She was irked when Tsar Alexander II held a higher rank than her as an emperor, and was appalled

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: on imported grain. As a result of his clashes with Peel in the House of Commons, Disraeli became a major Tory figure. When Lord Derby, the party leader, 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 until the general election of 1874, when he led the Tories as they won an outright majority. Disraeli's second term was dominated by the Eastern Question—the slow decay of the

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: 350 seats to 245 for the Liberals and 57 for the Irish Home Rule League. The Queen sent for Disraeli, and he became Prime Minister for the second time. Disraeli's cabinet of twelve, with six peers and six commoners, was the smallest since Reform. Of the peers, five of them had been in Disraeli's 1868 cabinet; the sixth, Lord Salisbury, was reconciled to Disraeli after negotiation and became Secretary of State for India. Lord Stanley (who had succeeded his father, the former Prime Minister, as Earl of Derby) became Foreign Secretary and Sir Stafford Northcote the Chancellor. In August 1876,

title: Endymion (Disraeli novel)

text: 2, Volume 3. (The author's name appears only on the spine.) Endymion (Disraeli novel) Endymion is a novel published in 1880 by Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, the former Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He was paid £10,000 for it. It was the last novel Disraeli published before his death. He had been writing another, "Falconet", when he died; it was published, incomplete, after his death. Like most of Disraeli's novels, "Endymion" is a romance, although Disraeli took the unusual step of setting it between 1819 and 1859. This meant that the hero of the novel–Endymion Ferrars–had

title: Endymion (Disraeli novel)

text: Endymion (Disraeli novel) Endymion is a novel published in 1880 by Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, the former Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He was paid £10,000 for it. It was the last novel Disraeli published before his death. He had been writing another, "Falconet", when he died; it was published, incomplete, after his death. Like most of Disraeli's novels, "Endymion" is a romance, although Disraeli took the unusual step of setting it between 1819 and 1859. This meant that the hero of the novel–Endymion Ferrars–had to be a Whig, rather than a Tory. The time period

title: Third Derby–Disraeli ministry

text: Third Derby–Disraeli ministry The Conservative government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland that began in 1866 and ended in 1868 was led by Lord Derby in the House of Lords and Benjamin Disraeli in the House of Commons. Lord Derby became Prime Minister for the fourth time, after the fall of Lord Russell's Liberal government, in 1866. His Chancellor of the Exchequer, Benjamin Disraeli, was instrumental in passing the Second Reform Act in 1867. After the parliamentary session, which produced the Second Reform Bill, Disraeli's eventual assumption of the leadership of the Conservative Party was all but

title: Third Derby–Disraeli ministry

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: before resigning as Prime Minister on 21 April 1880 was one for his private secretary, Montagu Corry, who became Baron Rowton. Returning to Hughenden, Disraeli brooded over his electoral dismissal, but also resumed work on "Endymion", which he had begun in 1872 and laid aside before the 1874 election. The work was rapidly completed and published by November 1880. He carried on a correspondence with Victoria, with letters passed through intermediaries. When Parliament met in January 1881, he served as Conservative leader in the Lords, attempting to serve as a moderating influence on Gladstone's legislation. Suffering from asthma and gout,

title: Second Disraeli ministry

text: are listed in bold face. C. Cook and B. Keith, "British Historical Facts 1830–1900" Second Disraeli ministry Benjamin Disraeli was appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for a second time by Queen Victoria after William Ewart Gladstone's government was defeated in the 1874 general election. Disraeli's foreign policy was seen as immoral by Gladstone, and following the latter's Midlothian campaign, the government was heavily defeated in the 1880 general election, whereupon Gladstone formed his second government. The ailing Disraeli, by now created Earl of Beaconsfield, died in April 1881. † The Earl of Beaconsfield from August 1876. § The

title: Second Disraeli ministry

text: Second Disraeli ministry Benjamin Disraeli was appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for a second time by Queen Victoria after William Ewart Gladstone's government was defeated in the 1874 general election. Disraeli's foreign policy was seen as immoral by Gladstone, and following the latter's Midlothian campaign, the government was heavily defeated in the 1880 general election, whereupon Gladstone formed his second government. The ailing Disraeli, by now created Earl of Beaconsfield, died in April 1881. † The Earl of Beaconsfield from August 1876. § The Earl Cairns from September 1878. ‡ The Viscount Cranbrook from May 1878. Cabinet members

title: Third Derby–Disraeli ministry

text: on 27 February 1868 Benjamin Disraeli became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He reportedly said of the event later, "I have climbed to the top of the greasy pole." However, the Conservatives were still a minority in the House of Commons, and the enaction of the Reform Bill required the calling of new election. Disraeli's term as Prime Minister would therefore be fairly short, unless the Conservatives managed to win the general election. Although all the cabinet posts were at his disposal, Disraeli made only a few changes: he replaced Lord Chelmsford as Lord Chancellor with Lord Cairns, and

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: fill Tait's vacant see, Disraeli was urged by many people to appoint Samuel Wilberforce, the former Bishop of Winchester and leading figure in London society. Disraeli disliked Wilberforce, and instead appointed John Jackson, the Bishop of Lincoln. Blake suggested that, on balance, these appointments cost Disraeli more votes than they gained him. Disraeli always considered foreign affairs to be the most critical and most interesting part of statesmanship. Nevertheless, his biographer Robert Blake doubts that his subject had specific ideas about foreign policy when he took office in 1874. He had rarely travelled abroad; since his youthful tour of the

title: Premierships of Benjamin Disraeli

text: ever is. But it was followed by almost as long a period of peace between the European great powers as the interval separating the Crimean War from the Congress of Vienna. As one of the two principal plenipotentiaries at Berlin Disraeli must share with Bismarck some part of the credit. Disraeli's preoccupation with foreign affairs and his long neglect of domestic issues cost him his prime ministership in the election in 1880. Gladstone vehemently attacked the foreign policy of Disraeli (now known as Lord Beaconsfield) as utterly immoral. Historian Paul Smith paraphrases the rhetorical tone which focused on attacking "Beaconsfieldism"

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: Disraeli was elevated to the House of Lords as Earl of Beaconsfield and Viscount Hughenden. The Queen had offered to ennoble him as early as 1868; he had then declined. She did so again in 1874, when he fell ill at Balmoral, but he was reluctant to leave the Commons for a house in which he had no experience. Continued ill-health during his second premiership caused him to contemplate resignation, but his lieutenant, Derby, was unwilling, feeling that he could not manage the Queen. For Disraeli, the Lords, where the debate was less intense, was the alternative to resignation from

title: History of the United Kingdom

text: when Britain was at the height of its power, serving terms as both Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister. He became controversial at the time, and remains so today, for his aggressive bullying and his "liberal interventionist" policies. He was intensely patriotic; he used the Royal Navy to undermine the Atlantic slave trade. Disraeli and Gladstone dominated the politics of the late 19th century, Britain's golden age of parliamentary government. They long were idolized, but historians in recent decades have become much more critical, especially regarding Disraeli. Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881), prime minister 1868 and 1874–80, remains an iconic hero of the

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: As he had in government posts, Disraeli rewarded old friends with clerical positions, making Sydney Turner, son of a good friend of Isaac D'Israeli, Dean of Ripon. He favoured Low church clergymen in promotion, disliking other movements in Anglicanism for political reasons. In this, he came into disagreement with the Queen, who out of loyalty to her late husband, Albert, Prince Consort, preferred Broad church teachings. One controversial appointment had occurred shortly before the 1868 election. When the position of Archbishop of Canterbury fell vacant, Disraeli reluctantly agreed to the Queen's preferred candidate, Archibald Tait, the Bishop of London. To

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman 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 Gladstone, and his one-nation conservatism or "Tory democracy". He made the Conservatives the party most identified with the glory and power of the British Empire. He is the only British Prime

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: 1947) - Played by Abraham Sofaer; "The Mudlark" (US, 1950) - Played by Sir Alec Guinness; "Disraeli (TV serial)" (UK-Television, 1978) - Played by Ian McShane; "Mrs. Brown" (US, 1997) - Played by Sir Antony Sher Notes References Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman 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

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: Minister to have been Jewish by birth and the first person from an ethnic minority background to hold one of the Great Offices of State. He was also a novelist, publishing works of fiction even as Prime Minister. Disraeli was born in Bloomsbury, then a part of Middlesex. His father left Judaism after a dispute at his synagogue; young Benjamin became an Anglican at age 12. After several unsuccessful attempts, Disraeli entered the House of Commons in 1837. In 1846, Prime Minister Robert Peel split the Conservatives over his proposal to repeal the Corn Laws, which involved ending the tariff

title: The Prime Minister (film)

text: The Prime Minister (film) The Prime Minister is a British 1941 British historical drama film directed by Thorold Dickinson and starring John Gielgud, Diana Wynyard, Fay Compton and Stephen Murray. It details the life and times of Benjamin Disraeli, who became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. It depicts his long marriage to Mary Disraeli and his relationship with various other public figures of the era including William Gladstone, Lord Melbourne and Queen Victoria. Gielgud would later reprise his role as Disraeli in the ITV television drama "Edward the Seventh" (1975). The film was shot at Teddington Studios by the

title: The Prime Minister (film)

text: British subsidiary of Warner Brothers. The company had previously made a successful biopic of the Prime Minister as "Disraeli" in 1929. The film's sets were designed by the art director Norman G. Arnold. In 1837, London novelist Benjamin Disraeli (John Gielgud) crashes his bicycle and is given a ride to a garden party by Mary Ann Wyndham-Lewis (Diana Wynyard). She has read his novels and says he should be in Parliament. Disraeli asks Mary Ann to help him, so she goes to the Conservative party leaders and gets their support for Disraeli. "The Prime Minister" opened in the United States

title: The Prime Minister (film)

text: in February 1942, eleven months after its British premiere. The American release was cut by 15 minutes, and among the scenes lost was one featuring Glynis Johns, then beginning her career. The Prime Minister (film) The Prime Minister is a British 1941 British historical drama film directed by Thorold Dickinson and starring John Gielgud, Diana Wynyard, Fay Compton and Stephen Murray. It details the life and times of Benjamin Disraeli, who became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. It depicts his long marriage to Mary Disraeli and his relationship with various other public figures of the era including William Gladstone,

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: the Queen gave Disraeli leave to quote her saying she had never approached a Prime Minister with such a proposal. According to Blake, Disraeli "in a brilliant oration of withering invective proceeded to destroy Lowe", who apologised and never held office again. Disraeli said of Lowe that he was the only person in London with whom he would not shake hands and, "he is in the mud and there I leave him." Fearful of losing, Disraeli was reluctant to bring the bill to a vote in the Commons, but when he eventually did, it passed with a majority of 75.

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: warned Disraeli of some MPs seeking his removal from the front bench. Among the conspirators were Lord Robert Cecil, a young Conservative MP who would a quarter century later become Prime Minister as Lord Salisbury; he wrote that having Disraeli as leader in the Commons decreased the Conservatives' chance of holding office. When Cecil's father objected, Lord Robert stated, "I have merely put into print what all the country gentlemen were saying in private." Disraeli led a toothless opposition in the Commons—seeing no way of unseating Palmerston, Derby had privately agreed not to seek the government's defeat. Disraeli kept himself

title: Coningsby Disraeli

text: Parliament for Altrincham in the 1892 general election, a seat he held until 1906 when he was defeated in the general election of that year. Disraeli died in Hove, East Sussex in September 1936, aged 69. Coningsby Disraeli Coningsby Ralph Disraeli (25 February 1867 – 30 September 1936), was a British Conservative politician. Born in Kensington, London, Disraeli was the son of Ralph Disraeli (1809–1898, the younger son of the writer Isaac D'Israeli). He was educated at Charterhouse School and New College, Oxford. The Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli was his uncle. He inherited the Hughenden Manor estate acquired by his

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: for confirmation that "you will not shrink from the additional heavy responsibility". Reassured, he wrote to the Queen, resigning and recommending Disraeli as "only he could command the cordial support, en masse, of his present colleagues". Disraeli went to Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, where the Queen asked him to form a government. The monarch wrote to her daughter, Prussian Crown Princess Victoria, "Mr. Disraeli is Prime Minister! A proud thing for a man 'risen from the people' to have obtained!" The new Prime Minister told those who came to congratulate him, "I have climbed to the top

title: Prime minister

text: could command the loyalty of the Commons was increasingly necessary. The long tenure of the wartime prime minister William Pitt the Younger (1783–1801), combined with the mental illness of George III, consolidated the power of the post. The title was first referred to on government documents during the administration of Benjamin Disraeli but did not appear in the formal British Order of precedence until 1905. The prestige of British institutions in the 19th century and the growth of the British Empire saw the British model of cabinet government, headed by a prime minister, widely copied, both in other European countries

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: an elevated social background who showed they cared.". Major productions featuring Disraeli include: "Disraeli" (1911, UK theatre) - Played by George Arliss; "Disraeli" (1916, UK film) - Played by Dennis Eadie; "Disraeli" (1921, US film) - Played by George Arliss; "Disraeli" (1929, US film) - Played by George Arliss; "Victoria the Great" (UK, 1937) - Played by Derrick De Marney (in youth)/ Hugh Miller (older age); "Suez" (US, 1938) - Played by Miles Mander; "The Prime Minister" (UK, 1941) - Played by Sir John Gielgud; "Mr. Gladstone" (UK-Television, 1947) - Played by Sydney Tafler; "The Ghosts of Berkeley Square" (UK,

title: Mary Anne Disraeli

text: is buried with Disraeli in a vault in the Church of St Michael and All Angels Church, Hughenden, in Hughenden, Buckinghamshire, close to the Disraeli family home, Hughenden Manor. The house is now in the care of the National Trust and has been preserved in the state when it was occupied by the Disraelis, and is open to the public as a visitor attraction. Mary Anne Disraeli Mary Anne Disraeli, 1st Viscountess Beaconsfield, "born" Evans (11 November 1792 – 15 December 1872), was a British peeress and society figure and the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. Born in Tongwynlais,

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: funeral, and visited the burial vault to place a wreath of china blooms four days later. The Prime Minister of Canada, Sir John A. Macdonald, held a strong facial resemblance to Disraeli and was styled “the Canadian Disraeli” by the Times; legend held that Macdonald's visit to England shortly after Disraeli's death had caused a British woman to faint having mistaken Macdonald for Disraeli. Disraeli is buried with his wife in a vault beneath the Church of St Michael and All Angels which stands in the grounds of his home, Hughenden Manor, accessed from the churchyard. There is also a

title: Mary Anne Disraeli

text: Mary Anne Disraeli Mary Anne Disraeli, 1st Viscountess Beaconsfield, "born" Evans (11 November 1792 – 15 December 1872), was a British peeress and society figure and the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. Born in Tongwynlais, Cardiff, the only daughter of Commander John Viney-Evans and his cousin Eleanor Scrope-Viney, she first married Wyndham Lewis, MP (1780–1838). The year following Lewis's death she married Benjamin Disraeli. In recognition of his services to the nation, Queen Victoria desired to ennoble Disraeli; as he wished to remain in the House of Commons, his wife accepted the title in his place and was created

title: Coningsby Disraeli

text: Coningsby Disraeli Coningsby Ralph Disraeli (25 February 1867 – 30 September 1936), was a British Conservative politician. Born in Kensington, London, Disraeli was the son of Ralph Disraeli (1809–1898, the younger son of the writer Isaac D'Israeli). He was educated at Charterhouse School and New College, Oxford. The Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli was his uncle. He inherited the Hughenden Manor estate acquired by his uncle on his father's death in 1898. Disraeli was an officer in the Buckinghamshire Yeomanry, where he was commissioned a Second lieutenant on 18 April 1900, and promoted to Lieutenant on 11 June 1902. He entered

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: to him by Lord Barrington, a Privy Councillor. One card, signed "A Workman", delighted its recipient, "Don't die yet, we can't do without you." Despite the gravity of Disraeli's condition, the doctors concocted optimistic bulletins, for public consumption. The Prime Minister, Gladstone, called several times to enquire about his rival's condition, and wrote in his diary, "May the Almighty be near his pillow." There was intense public interest in the former Prime Minister's struggles for life. Disraeli had customarily taken the sacrament at Easter; when this day was observed on 17 April, there was discussion among his friends and family

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: motion of Gladstone in his memorial speech on Disraeli in the House of Commons. Gladstone had absented himself from the funeral, with his plea of the press of public business met with public mockery. His speech was widely anticipated, if only because his dislike for Disraeli was well known, and caused the Prime Minister much worry. In the event, the speech was a model of its kind, in which he avoided comment on Disraeli's politics, while praising his personal qualities. Disraeli's literary and political career interacted over his lifetime and fascinated Victorian Britain, making him "one of the most eminent

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: The Prime Minister moved immediately to secure the shares. On 23 November, the Khedive offered to sell the shares for 100,000,000 francs. Rather than seek the aid of the Bank of England, Disraeli asked Lionel de Rothschild to loan funds. Rothschild did so, and controversially took a commission on the deal. The banker's capital was at risk, for Parliament could have refused to ratify the transaction. The contract for purchase was signed at Cairo on 25 November, and the shares deposited at the British consulate the following day. Disraeli told the Queen, "it is settled; you have it, madam!" The

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: electoral bribery. It authorised an early version of nationalisation, having the Post Office buy up the telegraph companies. Amendments to the school law, the Scottish legal system, and the railway laws were passed. Disraeli sent the successful expedition against Tewodros II of Ethiopia under Sir Robert Napier. With Gladstone's Liberal majority dominant in the Commons, Disraeli could do little but protest as the government advanced legislation. Accordingly, he chose to await Liberal mistakes. Having leisure time as he was not in office, he wrote a new novel, "Lothair" (1870). A work of fiction by a former Prime Minister was a

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: Rosebery. The Earl, a friend of both Disraeli and Gladstone who would succeed the latter after his final term as Prime Minister, had journeyed to the United States to view politics there, and was convinced that aspects of American electioneering could be translated to the United Kingdom. On his advice, Gladstone accepted the offer in January 1879, and later that year began his Midlothian campaign, speaking not only in Edinburgh, but across Britain, attacking Disraeli, to huge crowds. Conservative chances of re-election were damaged by the poor weather, and consequent effects on agriculture. Four consecutive wet summers through 1879 had

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: In the following weeks, Disraeli served as Leader of the House (with Derby as Prime Minister in the Lords) and as Chancellor. He wrote regular reports on proceedings in the Commons to Victoria, who described them as "very curious" and "much in the style of his books". The Tories could not govern for long as a minority, and Parliament was prorogued on 1 July 1852; Disraeli hoped that they would gain a majority of about 40. Instead, the election later that month had no clear winner, and the Derby government remained in power pending the meeting of Parliament. Disraeli's task

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: the financial demands of his Maidstone seat too much, Disraeli secured a Tory nomination for Shrewsbury, winning one of the constituency's two seats at the 1841 general election, despite serious opposition, and heavy debts which opponents seized on. The election was a massive defeat for the Whigs across the country, and Peel became Prime Minister. Disraeli hoped, unrealistically, for ministerial office. Though disappointed at being left on the back benches, he continued his support for Peel in 1842 and 1843, seeking to establish himself as an expert on foreign affairs and international trade. Although a Tory (or Conservative, as some

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: this ultimatum from Disraeli, and when the Prime Minister insisted he take no action, went ahead anyway. When the Afghans made no answer, the British advanced against them in the Second Anglo-Afghan War, and under Lord Roberts easily defeated them. The British installed a new ruler, and left a mission and garrison in Kabul. British policy in South Africa was to encourage federation between the British-run Cape Colony and Natal, and the Boer republics, the Transvaal (annexed by Britain in 1877) and the Orange Free State. The governor of Cape Colony, Sir Bartle Frere, believing that the federation could not

title: Disraeli (1929 film)

text: Disraeli (1929 film) Disraeli is a 1929 American historical film directed by Alfred E. Green, released by Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc., and adapted by Julien Josephson and De Leon Anthony from the 1911 play "Disraeli" by Louis N. Parker. The lobby card states, "Mr. George Arliss in his greatest picture Disraeli". His performance as British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli won him the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. The story revolves around the British plan to buy the Suez Canal and the efforts of two spies to stop it. As with the original 1911 Broadway play and

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: to fail through 1879. Owing to his infirmities, he was three-quarters of an hour late for the Lord Mayor's Dinner at the Guildhall in November, at which it is customary that the Prime Minister speaks. Though many commented on how healthy he looked, it took him great effort to appear so, and when he told the audience he expected to speak to the dinner again the following year, attendees chuckled—Gladstone was then in the midst of his campaign. Despite his public confidence, Disraeli recognised that the Conservatives would probably lose the next election, and was already contemplating his Resignation Honours.

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: who favoured Russell and the Palmerston loyalists, and in late March 1859, the government was defeated on a Russell-sponsored amendment. Derby dissolved Parliament, and the ensuing general election resulted in modest Tory gains, but not enough to control the Commons. When Parliament assembled, Derby's government was defeated by 13 votes on an amendment to the Address from the Throne. He resigned, and the Queen reluctantly sent for Palmerston again. After Derby's second ejection from office, Disraeli faced dissension within Conservative ranks from those who blamed him for the defeat, or who felt he was disloyal to Derby—the former Prime Minister

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: mourners at the service at Hughenden on 26 April were his brother Ralph and nephew Coningsby, to whom Hughenden would eventually pass. Queen Victoria was prostrated with grief, and considered ennobling Ralph or Coningsby as a memorial to Disraeli (without children, his titles became extinct with his death) but decided against it on the ground that their means were too small for a peerage. Protocol forbade her attending Disraeli's funeral (this would not be changed until 1965, when Elizabeth II attended the rites for the former Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill) but she sent primroses ("his favourite flowers") to the

title: Disraeli (TV serial)

text: Disraeli (TV serial) Disraeli is a British four-part serial about the great statesman and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Benjamin Disraeli. It was originally featured on British network ITV. With a screenplay by David Butler, it was produced by Cecil Clarke and directed by Claude Whatham. It focused on Disraeli's personal life as much as it did on his political persona spanning five decades of his life. Shot on site in England, it ended up with multiple Emmy nominations. It was broadcast in the US as part of "Masterpiece Theatre" in 1980. Distributed by Granada Productions, it is available

title: Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

text: official recognition given to the office had only been in the Treaty of Berlin in 1878, when Disraeli signed as "First Lord of the Treasury and Prime Minister of her Britannic Majesty". It wasn't until 7 years later, in 1885, did the official records entrench the institution of Prime Minister, using "Prime Minister" at the list of Government ministers printed in Hansard. Incumbents had no statutory authority in their own right. As late as 1904, Arthur Balfour explained the status of his office in a speech at Haddington: "The Prime Minister has no salary as Prime Minister. He has no

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: developed. Disraeli was unwilling to wait, and Cairns, in his view, was a far stronger minister. Disraeli's first premiership was dominated by the heated debate over the Church of Ireland. Although Ireland was overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, the Protestant Church remained the established church and was funded by direct taxation, which was greatly resented by the Catholic majority. An initial attempt by Disraeli to negotiate with Archbishop Manning the establishment of a Roman Catholic university in Dublin foundered in March when Gladstone moved resolutions to disestablish the Irish Church altogether. The proposal united the Liberals under Gladstone's leadership, while causing divisions

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: Lord Cranbrook—would not be heard from. The election was thought likely to be close. Once returns began to be announced, it became clear that the Conservatives were being decisively beaten. The final result gave the Liberals an absolute majority of about 50. Disraeli refused to cast blame for the defeat, which he understood was likely to be final for him. He wrote to Lady Bradford that it was just as much work to end a government as to form one, without any of the fun. Queen Victoria was bitter at his departure as Prime Minister. Among the honours he arranged

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: to suppose that the two years and more that I was in the office of our friend [Maples] were wasted. I have often thought, though I have often regretted the University, that it was much the reverse'. The year after joining Maples' firm, Benjamin changed his surname from D'Israeli to Disraeli. His reasons for doing so are unknown, but the biographer Bernard Glassman surmises that it was to avoid being confused with his father. Disraeli's sister and brothers adopted the new version of the name; Isaac and his wife retained the older form. Disraeli toured Belgium and the Rhine Valley

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: Benjamin was baptised, aged twelve, on 31 July 1817. Conversion to Christianity enabled Disraeli to contemplate a career in politics. Britain in the early nineteenth century was not a greatly anti-Semitic society, and there had been Members of Parliament (MPs) from Jewish families since Samson Gideon in 1770. But until 1858, MPs were required to take the oath of allegiance "on the true faith of a Christian", necessitating at least nominal conversion. It is not known whether Disraeli formed any ambition for a parliamentary career at the time of his baptism, but there is no doubt that he bitterly regretted

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: to help him as well, showing her favour by visiting him at Hughenden—the first time she had visited the country home of her Prime Minister since the Melbourne ministry. At the end of January 1878, the Ottoman Sultan appealed to Britain to save Constantinople. Amid war fever in Britain, the government asked Parliament to vote £6,000,000 to prepare the Army and Navy for war. Gladstone, who had again involved himself in politics, opposed the measure, but less than half his party voted with him. Popular opinion was with Disraeli, though some thought him too soft for not immediately declaring war

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: 1877 session on the Eastern Question, stating on 20 February that there was a need for stability in the Balkans, and that forcing Turkey into territorial concessions would do nothing to secure it. The Prime Minister wanted a deal with the Ottomans whereby Britain would temporarily occupy strategic areas to deter the Russians from war, to be returned on the signing of a peace treaty, but found little support in his cabinet, which favoured partition of the Ottoman Empire. As Disraeli, by then in poor health, continued to battle within the cabinet, Russia invaded Turkey on 21 April, beginning the

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: office again. Political plans were thrown into disarray by Palmerston's death on 18 October 1865. Russell became Prime Minister again, with Gladstone clearly the Liberal Party's leader-in-waiting, and as Leader of the House Disraeli's direct opponent. One of Russell's early priorities was a Reform Bill, but the proposed legislation that Gladstone announced on 12 March 1866 divided his party. The Conservatives and the dissident Liberals repeatedly attacked Gladstone's bill, and in June finally defeated the government; Russell resigned on 26 June. The dissidents were unwilling to serve under Disraeli in the House of Commons, and Derby formed a third Conservative

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: with his father in the summer of 1824. He later wrote that it was while travelling on the Rhine that he decided to abandon his position: "I determined when descending those magical waters that I would not be a lawyer." On their return to England he left the solicitors at the suggestion of Maples, with the aim of qualifying as a barrister. He enrolled as a student at Lincoln's Inn and joined the chambers of his uncle, Nathaniel Basevy, and then those of Benjamin Austen, who persuaded Isaac that Disraeli would never make a barrister and should be allowed to

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: many years in his parliamentary career Disraeli hoped to forge a paternalistic Tory-Radical alliance, but he was unsuccessful. Before the Reform Act 1867, the working class did not possess the vote and therefore had little political power. Although Disraeli forged a personal friendship with John Bright, a Lancashire manufacturer and leading Radical, Disraeli was unable to persuade Bright to sacrifice his distinct position for parliamentary advancement. When Disraeli attempted to secure a Tory-Radical cabinet in 1852, Bright refused. Disraeli gradually became a sharp critic of Peel's government, often deliberately taking positions contrary to those of his nominal chief. The best-known

title: Prime minister

text: powers (known as the royal prerogative) that are constitutionally vested in the crown and may be exercised without the approval of parliament. As well as being head of government, a prime minister may have other roles or posts—the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, for example, is also First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service. Prime ministers may take other ministerial posts. For example, during the Second World War, Winston Churchill was also Minister of Defence (although there was then no Ministry of Defence) and in the current cabinet of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu also serves as

title: Records of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom

text: election was Lord Rosebery, who, having resigned his ministry in May 1895, led his Liberal Party to defeat in the general election the following month when aged 48. Since peers ceased to hold this office (1902), the youngest losing Prime Minister was John Major, at 54 years and 33 days when the Conservative Party lost the 1997 general election. William Ewart Gladstone, was the oldest, at 76 years, when his party lost the 1886 general election, although he returned to office in 1892. The oldest Prime Minister to be defeated without returning to office was Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of

title: Disraeli Gears

text: Your Love". The original 11-track album was remastered in 1998, and then subsequently released as a two-disc "Deluxe Edition" in 2004. Drummer Ginger Baker recalled how the album's title was based on a malapropism which alluded to 19th-century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli: The album was recorded at Atlantic Studios in New York during May 1967, following the band's nine shows as part of Murray the K's "Music in the 5th Dimension" concert series. Cream's American label, ATCO, was a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlantic Records. The sessions were produced by future Mountain bassist Felix Pappalardi – who co-wrote the

title: Disraeli (play)

text: and drama to the story. The real role of Lionel de Rothschild in the purchase was changed to that of the fictional banker Meyers. The play premièred at Wallack's Theatre in New York City on 18 September 1911. The play was a popular success for Arliss, and developed a loyal following. It became Arliss' signature role and he was strongly identified with it in popular culture. In 1875, the British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli attempts to gain control of the Suez Canal and secure Britain's route to India. He manages to secure a loan from a London financier Meyers, but

title: Prime Minister of Israel

text: Since 1974, the official residence of the prime minister is Beit Aghion, at the corner of Balfour and Smolenskin streets in Rehavia. As of March 2017, there are two living former Prime Ministers. The most recent Prime Minister to die was Shimon Peres (1977; 1984–1986; 1995–1996), who died on 28 September 2016. Benjamin Netanyahu, who served as Prime Minister from 1996 to 1999, is currently serving and is thus excluded from this list. Prime Minister of Israel The Prime Minister of Israel (, "Rosh HaMemshala", "lit." Head of the Government, Hebrew acronym: ; , "Ra'īs al-Ḥukūma") is the head of

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: all his own way: he intended that Batum be demilitarised, but the Russians obtained their preferred language, and in 1886, fortified the town. Nevertheless, the Cyprus Convention ceding the island to Britain was announced during the congress, and again made Disraeli a sensation. Disraeli gained agreement that Turkey should retain enough of its European possessions to safeguard the Dardanelles. By one account, when met with Russian intransigence, Disraeli told his secretary to order a special train to return them home to begin the war. Although Russia yielded, Tsar Alexander II later described the congress as "a European coalition against Russia,

title: Prime Minister of Israel

text: most seats, it was the Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu who was given the task of forming a government. He was able to do so, thus beginning his second term as Prime Minister of Israel. In the 2013 election, the Likud Yisrael Beiteinu alliance emerged as the largest faction. After forming a coalition, Netanyahu secured his third prime ministership. If the prime minister dies in office, the cabinet chooses an interim prime minister, to run the government until a new government is placed in power. Yigal Allon served as interim prime minister following Levi Eshkol's death, as did Shimon Peres following

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: born on 21 December 1804 at 6 King's Road, Bedford Row, Bloomsbury, London, the second child and eldest son of Isaac D'Israeli, a literary critic and historian, and Maria (Miriam), "née" Basevi. The family was of Sephardic Jewish Italian mercantile background. All of Disraeli's grandparents and great-grandparents were born in Italy; Isaac's father, Benjamin, moved to England from Venice in 1748. Disraeli later romanticised his origins, claiming that his father's family was of grand Spanish and Venetian descent; in fact Isaac's family was of no great distinction, but on Disraeli's mother's side, in which he took no interest, there were

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: there in the autumn term of 1817; he later recalled his education: In November 1821, shortly before his seventeenth birthday, Disraeli was articled as a clerk to a firm of solicitors—Swain, Stevens, Maples, Pearse and Hunt—in the City of London. T F Maples was not only the young Disraeli's employer and friend of his father's, but also his prospective father-in-law: Isaac and Maples entertained the possibility that the latter's only daughter might be a suitable match for Benjamin. A friendship developed, but there was no romance. The firm had a large and profitable business, and as the biographer R W

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: protectionism. He began to move in Tory circles. In 1834 he was introduced to the former Lord Chancellor, Lord Lyndhurst, by Henrietta Sykes, wife of Sir Francis Sykes. She was having an affair with Lyndhurst, and began another with Disraeli. Disraeli and Lyndhurst took an immediate liking to each other. Lyndhurst was an indiscreet gossip with a fondness for intrigue; this appealed greatly to Disraeli, who became his secretary and go-between. Disraeli stood as a Radical for the last time in 1835, unsuccessfully contesting High Wycombe once again. In April 1835, Disraeli fought a by-election at Taunton as a Tory

title: Prime Minister of Israel

text: Prime Minister of Israel The Prime Minister of Israel (, "Rosh HaMemshala", "lit." Head of the Government, Hebrew acronym: ; , "Ra'īs al-Ḥukūma") is the head of government and chief executive of Israel. Israel is a republic with a President as head of state. However, the President's powers are largely ceremonial; the Prime Minister holds the real power. The official residence of the Prime Minister, "Beit Aghion" is in Jerusalem. The current Prime Minister is Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud, the ninth person to hold the position (excluding caretakers). Following an election, the President nominates a member of the Knesset to

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: that her daughter, the Prussian Crown Princess, would outrank her when her husband came to the throne. She also saw an imperial title as proclaiming Britain's increased stature in the world. The title "Empress of India" had been used informally with respect to Victoria for some time and she wished to have that title formally bestowed on her. The Queen prevailed upon Disraeli to introduce a Royal Titles Bill, and also told of her intent to open Parliament in person, which during this time she did only when she wanted something from legislators. Disraeli was cautious in response, as careful

title: Benjamin D'Israeli (merchant)

text: yield a plait in every way equal to the Leghorn straws. The enterprise does not seem to have proved successful. D'Israeli died in November 1816 at his house in Charles Street, Stoke Newington, and was attended on his deathbed by a noted physician, Dr. John Aikin, who happened to be his neighbour. He left a fortune valued at £35,000. Benjamin D'Israeli (merchant) Benjamin D'Israeli (1730–1816) was an Italian-born merchant and financier, the grandfather of the British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield. D'Israeli was born in Cento, near Ferrara, then in the Papal States, now part of the Italian

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: of the urban élite. Disraeli had, for example, stressed the need to improve the lot of the urban labourer. The memory of Disraeli was used by the Conservatives to appeal to the working classes, with whom he was said to have had a rapport. This aspect of his policies has been re-evaluated by historians in the 20th and 21st centuries. In 1972 BHAbbott stressed that it was not Disraeli but Lord Randolph Churchill who invented the term "Tory democracy", though it was Disraeli who made it an essential part of Conservative policy and philosophy. In 2007 Parry wrote, "The tory

title: Benjamin D'Israeli (merchant)

text: Benjamin D'Israeli (merchant) Benjamin D'Israeli (1730–1816) was an Italian-born merchant and financier, the grandfather of the British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield. D'Israeli was born in Cento, near Ferrara, then in the Papal States, now part of the Italian Republic, on 22 September 1730; and died at Stoke Newington, Middlesex, on 28 November 1816. He moved to England in 1748 and settled there as a merchant, although he did not take out papers of denization till 1801. Although a conforming Jew, and though contributing liberally towards the support of a synagogue, D'Israeli appears never to have cordially or

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: in the film and where all discord could be turned into harmony by an acceptance of the status quo." Steven Fielding has argued that Disraeli was an especially popular film hero: "historical dramas favoured Disraeli over Gladstone and, more substantively, promulgated an essentially deferential view of democratic leadership." Stage and screen actor George Arliss was known for his portrayals of Disraeli, winning the Oscar as best actor for 1929's "Disraeli". Fielding says Arliss "personified the kind of paternalistic, kindly, homely statesmanship that appealed to a significant proportion of the cinema audience...Even workers attending Labour party meetings deferred to leaders with

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: exception of Disraeli, every member of the future protectionist cabinet then in Parliament voted against the measure. One who was not yet an MP, Lord John Manners, stood against Rothschild when the latter re-submitted himself for election in 1849. Disraeli, who had attended the protectionists' dinner at the Merchant Taylors' Hall, joined Bentinck in speaking and voting for the bill, although his own speech was a standard one of toleration. The measure was voted down. In the aftermath of the debate Bentinck resigned the leadership and was succeeded by Lord Granby; Disraeli's own speech, thought by many of his own

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: 305 to 148. Aberdeen resigned, and the Queen sent for Derby, who to Disraeli's frustration refused to take office. Palmerston was deemed essential to any Whig ministry, and he would not join any he did not head. The Queen reluctantly asked Palmerston to form a government. Under Palmerston, the war went better, and was ended by the Treaty of Paris in early 1856. Disraeli was early to call for peace, but had little influence on events. When a rebellion broke out in India in 1857, Disraeli took a keen interest in affairs, having been a member of a select committee

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: detest him over his treatment of Peel. Over time, her dislike softened, especially as Disraeli took pains to cultivate her. He told Matthew Arnold, "Everybody likes flattery; and, when you come to royalty, you should lay it on with a trowel". Disraeli's biographer, Adam Kirsch, suggests that Disraeli's obsequious treatment of his queen was part flattery, part belief that this was how a queen should be addressed by a loyal subject, and part awe that a middle-class man of Jewish birth should be the companion of a monarch. By the time of his second premiership, Disraeli had built a strong

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: office; Derby had hoped to have him as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Disraeli, his closest ally, was his second choice and accepted, though disclaiming any great knowledge in the financial field. Gladstone refused to join the government. Disraeli may have been attracted to the office by the £5,000 per year salary, which would help pay his debts. Few of the new cabinet had held office before; when Derby tried to inform the Duke of Wellington of the names of the Queen's new ministers, the elderly Duke, who was somewhat deaf, inadvertently branded the new government by incredulously repeating "Who? Who?"

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: Lord Beaconsfield". Disraeli caused an uproar in the congress by making his opening address in English, rather than in French, hitherto accepted as the international language of diplomacy. By one account, the British ambassador in Berlin, Lord Odo Russell, hoping to spare the delegates Disraeli's very poor French accent, told Disraeli that the congress was hoping to hear a speech in the English tongue by one of its masters. Disraeli left much of the detailed work to Salisbury, concentrating his efforts on making it as difficult as possible for the broken-up big Bulgaria to reunite. Disraeli did not have things

title: Acting prime minister

text: Minister, served as Acting Prime Minister for six days, after Norman Kirk died in office in 1974. Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters was serving as Acting Prime Minister as of 21 June 2018 until 2 August 2018, while Jacinda Ardern took maternity leave. Prior to the establishment of the Deputy Prime Minister role, a senior Minister would be appointed to act as Prime Minister when, for example, the incumbent was travelling overseas. In the current era, when both the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister are unavailable, the next highest ranking minister who is available will be asked to act

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: soundings of MPs brought a negative reaction, and declined to place such a proposal in the Queen's Speech. Once the desired bill was prepared, Disraeli's handling of it was not adept. He neglected to notify either the Prince of Wales or the opposition, and was met by irritation from the prince and a full-scale attack from the Liberals. An old enemy of Disraeli, former Liberal Chancellor Robert Lowe, alleged during the debate in the Commons that two previous Prime Ministers had refused to introduce such legislation for the Queen. Gladstone immediately stated that he was not one of them, and

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: Disraeli went out as little as possible, fearing more serious episodes of illness. In March, he fell ill with bronchitis, and emerged from bed only for a meeting with Salisbury and other Conservative leaders on the 26th. As it became clear that this might be his final sickness, friends and opponents alike came to call. Disraeli declined a visit from the Queen, saying, "She would only ask me to take a message to Albert." Almost blind, when he received the last letter from Victoria of which he was aware on 5 April, he held it momentarily, then had it read

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: Bulgaria. The Turks suppressed the Bulgarian uprising harshly, and when reports of these actions escaped, Disraeli and Derby stated in Parliament that they did not believe them. Disraeli called them "coffee-house babble" and dismissed allegations of torture by the Ottomans since "Oriental people usually terminate their connections with culprits in a more expeditious fashion". Gladstone, who had left the Liberal leadership and retired from public life, was appalled by reports of atrocities in Bulgaria, and in August 1876, penned a hastily written pamphlet arguing that the Turks should be deprived of Bulgaria because of what they had done there. He

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: informed on foreign affairs, and on what was going on in cabinet, thanks to a source within it. When the American Civil War began in 1861, Disraeli said little publicly, but like most Englishmen expected the South to win. Less reticent were Palmerston, Gladstone (again Chancellor) and Russell, whose statements in support of the South contributed to years of hard feelings in the United States. In 1862, Disraeli met Prussian Count Otto von Bismarck for the first time and said of him, "be careful about that man, he means what he says". The party truce ended in 1864, with Tories

title: Emanuel Raphael Belilios

text: He tried to establish relations with the then British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli by proposing a marble and bronze statue of Disraeli, which was declined by the prime minister himself. Belilios erected the Beaconsfield Arcade, a reference to Disraeli title Lord Beaconsfield, in Hong Kong instead. However until his death Bellios would annually send a wreath to decorate the statue of Benjamin Disraeli on Parliament Square. He became Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Chairman from 1876 to 1882, appointed to the Legislative Council of Hong Kong in 1881 and as the Council's Senior Unofficial Member from 1892 to 1900. Belilios

title: The Prime Minister Was a Spy

text: that he had been acting in bad faith. The Prime Minister Was a Spy The Prime Minister Was a Spy is a 1983 book by British writer Anthony Grey. The book's premise is that Harold Holt, Prime Minister of Australia from 1966 to 1967, was a lifelong spy for the Chinese government, under both the Nationalist and Communist regimes. Its most famous claim is that Holt faked his own death – rather than drowning, he boarded a Chinese submarine stationed off the Australian coast and lived the rest of his life in Beijing. The book was widely ridiculed upon its

title: The Prime Minister Was a Spy

text: The Prime Minister Was a Spy The Prime Minister Was a Spy is a 1983 book by British writer Anthony Grey. The book's premise is that Harold Holt, Prime Minister of Australia from 1966 to 1967, was a lifelong spy for the Chinese government, under both the Nationalist and Communist regimes. Its most famous claim is that Holt faked his own death – rather than drowning, he boarded a Chinese submarine stationed off the Australian coast and lived the rest of his life in Beijing. The book was widely ridiculed upon its release, and has been identified as containing numerous

title: Prime minister

text: when Northern Ireland was a Majority Rule Parliament the head of government would be known as the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. In Pakistan, the prime minister is referred to as "Wazir-e-Azam", meaning "Grand Vizier". The Prime Minister's executive office is usually called the Office of the Prime Minister in the case of the Canada and other Commonwealth countries, it is called Cabinet Office in United Kingdom. Some Prime Minister's office do include the role of Cabinet. In other countries, it is called the Prime Minister's Department or the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet as for Australia. In

title: Venetia (Disraeli novel)

text: Venetia (Disraeli novel) Venetia is a minor novel by Benjamin Disraeli, published in 1837, the year he was first elected to the House of Commons. The novel is a lightweight romantic fantasy. A contemporary reviewer, writing in an 1854 issue of the "New Monthly Review", declared that he “liked it least of all Disraeli’s works.” Michael Flavin’s "Benjamin Disraeli: The Novel as a Political Discourse" suggests that Venetia was largely a commercial endeavour for Disraeli, who was deep in debt at the time that he wrote it. In "Byron and the Victorians", Andrew Elfenbein discusses "Venetia" in terms of Disraeli's

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: among the Peelites, no party reconciliation was possible while he remained Tory leader in the House of Commons. With the fall of the government, Disraeli and the Conservatives returned to the opposition benches; he was to spend three-quarters of his 44-year parliamentary career in opposition. Derby was reluctant to seek to unseat the government, fearing a repetition of the 'Who? Who?' ministry, and knowing that despite his lieutenant's strengths, shared dislike of Disraeli was part of what had formed the governing coalition. Disraeli, on the other hand, was anxious to return to office. In the interim he, as Conservative leader

title: Prime minister

text: leader, the incoming leader will usually be referred as "prime minister-in-waiting". An example or this situation was in 2016 in the United Kingdom when Theresa May was elected leader of the Conservative Party while David Cameron was still prime minister. Ukraine's constitution (1996) lists the powers, functions and duties of the Prime Minister of Ukraine. Most prime ministers in parliamentary systems are not appointed for a specific term in office and in effect may remain in power through a number of elections and parliaments. For example, Margaret Thatcher was only ever appointed prime minister on "one" occasion, in 1979. She

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: new thing for Britain, and the book became a bestseller. By 1872, there was dissent in the Conservative ranks over the failure to challenge Gladstone and his Liberals. This was quieted as Disraeli took steps to assert his leadership of the party, and as divisions among the Liberals became clear. Public support for Disraeli was shown by cheering at a thanksgiving service that year on the recovery of the Prince of Wales from illness, while Gladstone was met with silence. Disraeli had supported the efforts of party manager John Eldon Gorst to put the administration of the Conservative Party on

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: WilliamIV died, his niece the young Princess Victoria succeeded him, and parliament was dissolved. On the recommendation of the Carlton Club, Disraeli was adopted as a Tory parliamentary candidate at the ensuing general election. In the election in July 1837, Disraeli won a seat in the House of Commons as one of two members, both Tory, for the constituency of Maidstone. The other was Wyndham Lewis, who helped finance Disraeli's election campaign, and who died the following year. In the same year Disraeli published a novel, "Henrietta Temple", which was a love story and social comedy, drawing on his affair

title: Acting prime minister

text: Acting prime minister An acting Prime Minister is a cabinet member (often in Westminster system countries) who is serving in the role of Prime Minister, whilst the individual who normally holds the position is unable to do so. The role is often performed by the Deputy Prime Minister (where that position exists), or by another senior Minister. The office is commonly used when the Prime Minister is absent from the territory of that nation, when the Prime Minister is in ill health or, on maternity leave. An acting Prime Minister should be distinguished from a caretaker Prime Minister, which refers

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: democrat myth did not survive detailed scrutiny by professional historical writing of the 1960s [which] demonstrated that Disraeli had very little interest in a programme of social legislation and was very flexible in handling parliamentary reform in 1867." Despite this, Parry sees Disraeli, rather than Peel, as the founder of the modern Conservative party. The Conservative politician and writer Douglas Hurd wrote in 2013, "[Disraeli] was not a one-nation Conservative—and this was not simply because he never used the phrase. He rejected the concept in its entirety." Disraeli's enthusiastic propagation of the British Empire has also been seen as appealing

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: memorial to him in the chancel in the church, erected in his honour by Queen Victoria. His literary executor was his private secretary, Lord Rowton. The Disraeli vault also contains the body of Sarah Brydges Willyams, the wife of James Brydges Willyams of St Mawgan in Cornwall. Disraeli carried on a long correspondence with Mrs. Willyams, writing frankly about political affairs. At her death in 1865, she left him a large legacy, which helped clear up his debts. His will was proved at £84,000. Disraeli has a memorial in Westminster Abbey. This monument was erected by the nation on the

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: This act was unpopular with the right wing of the Conservative Party, most notably Lord Cranborne (as Robert Cecil was by then known), who resigned from the government and spoke against the bill, accusing Disraeli of "a political betrayal which has no parallel in our Parliamentary annals". Cranborne, however, was unable to lead an effective rebellion against Derby and Disraeli. Disraeli gained wide acclaim and became a hero to his party for the "marvellous parliamentary skill" with which he secured the passage of Reform in the Commons. Derby had long suffered from attacks of gout which sent him to his

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: to general public notice for the first time. He did not defeat the incumbent Whig member, Henry Labouchere, but the Taunton constituency was regarded as unwinnable by the Tories. Disraeli kept Labouchere's majority down to 170, a good showing that put him in line for a winnable seat in the near future. With Lyndhurst's encouragement, Disraeli turned to writing propaganda for his newly adopted party. His "Vindication of the English Constitution", was published in December 1835. It was couched in the form of an open letter to Lyndhurst, and in Bradford's view encapsulates a political philosophy that Disraeli adhered to

title: Benjamin Disraeli

text: by Disraeli, Bentinck, and Lord Stanley (later Lord Derby). The split in the Tory party over the repeal of the Corn Laws had profound implications for Disraeli's political career: almost every Tory politician with experience of office followed Peel, leaving the rump bereft of leadership. In Blake's words, "[Disraeli] found himself almost the only figure on his side capable of putting up the oratorical display essential for a parliamentary leader." Looking on from the House of Lords, the Duke of Argyll wrote that Disraeli "was like a subaltern in a great battle where every superior officer was killed or wounded".

title: Contarini Fleming

text: his great political rival William Gladstone, Contarini refers to an adversary spouting "the most ludicrous medley of pomposity." Given the autobiographical nature of the work, written before Disraeli was even a member of Parliament, perhaps the most prophetic quote is when Contarini’s father, on becoming prime minister of a minor "northern" state, says to him, “My son, you will be Prime Minister of...; perhaps something greater." Contarini Fleming Contarini Fleming - A Psychological Romance is the fourth and most autobiographical novel written by Benjamin Disraeli who would later become a Prime Minister of Great Britain. It was published anonymously in

title: Acting prime minister

text: if the incumbent is temporarily incapacitated. Whilst in other countries the term "Acting Prime Minister" only refers to an individual actually performing the role, in Israel the term is also in use when a designated Minister is allocated, even if they never actually perform the role. In New Zealand, the Acting Prime Minister is the designated head of government when the incumbent is not available to fulfill their duties. This includes when the Prime Minister is overseas, unwell, or otherwise temporarily unavailable. Typically this position is filled by the Deputy Prime Minister. Hugh Watt, who was then the Deputy Prime