Benjamin Disraeli has been called the most
gifted Parliamentarian of the 19th century and a first class orator, writer and wit.
Twice Prime Minister, he played a major part
in the creation of the modern Conservative Party. He also made the Tories the
party most identified with the glory and power of the British Empire: he
brought India and the Suez Canal under the control of the British crown.
Reading in Disraeli: a Personal History by Christopher Hibbert about Disraeli’s rise from relative
obscurity to international renown and what he called ‘the top of the greasy
pole’ makes me wonder how he did it, why he did it and which, if any,
subterranean forces were at work to move him into such a high position. These
articles are a record of my attempts to understand what was going on and to
answer those questions.
Getting in: the political party lottery
Although Disraeli may have decided on a
political career in 1826, he didn’t do much about it until 1832. This was after
his return from the Grand Tour of Europe and the Orient, a tour that restored
him to health.
His long term goal was to become Prime
Minister.
The first step in this direction was to get
into the House of Commons as a Member of Parliament. This entailed deciding which of the three
political parties to campaign for.
The Tory, or Conservative, Party was considered
to be worn out at the time, a lost cause, and Disraeli didn’t want to attach
himself to a falling star; he couldn’t bring himself to be a Whig (who became
the Liberals), so in 1832 he decided that he would campaign as a Radical.
After making a few unsuccessful attempts to
get into Parliament by standing as an Independent Radical, in 1835 Disraeli
changed his political affiliations and campaigned as a Tory.
For Disraeli, the end was much more important
than the means; he felt that he had to do whatever it took to reach his goal.
He was in no position to have scruples. Perhaps he changed parties because he
felt that time was running out; he was going nowhere with the Radicals so had
not got much to lose by joining the Conservatives.
He lost a by-election in 1835. He was then
offered the safe seat of Maidstone, and easily defeated his Whig opponent in
the general election of 1837.
He was in! He had finally made it at the age
of 32. His decision to switch parties had paid off.
