Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone’s activist approach to governing transformed British politics, especially during his first of four ministries. He supported the evolutionary growth of democracy in Great Britain and introduced an agenda for social and economic improvement, and he introduced and passed legislation that remedied unjust and inhumane conditions in Ireland.
William Ewart Gladstone came to power in 1868 after Benjamin Disraeli’s first ministry
Gladstone also was keenly aware that the new political parties—his Liberals and Disraeli’s Conservatives—had to conduct business within a different framework than did the earlier Whig and Tory Parties. The new reality of the late nineteenth century was the continuing growth of democracy in a Britain that saw an increasing number of voters who were better educated and more demanding than in the past. Gladstone recognized that party identity was critical for long-term success, and he directed his policies and developed alliances with that consideration in mind. In foreign affairs, Gladstone looked on as the French were defeated by the Prussians in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, the German Empire and the Kingdom of Italy were proclaimed, and Parisians experimented with communism in the Commune.
William Ewart Gladstone in 1866, at the age of fifty-six.
Early in his first ministry, Gladstone focused
In 1870, Gladstone’s government introduced a wide range of reforms. Initial steps were taken to improve the quality of the civil service, steps that included the introduction of testing for employment and suggestions for testing as the basis for promotions. Similarly, in 1870, Gladstone’s secretary of state for war, Edward Cardwell
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In 1871,
The Infant Life Protection Act of 1872
Throughout the nineteenth century, Parliament had passed several laws that addressed some of the problems associated with the administration of justice in the British courts. To a large extent these changes were required because of the rapid transformation of Great Britain during the first six decades of the century. In 1873, Gladstone’s government aligned these reforms in a series of measures that provided clarity and a reasonable degree of judicial stability; the Common Law and Equity courts were combined and the Court of Appeal and the High Court of Justice were formalized.
The energy that these reform efforts required took a toll on Gladstone. He lost the February, 1874, general election to Benjamin Disraeli
William Gladstone’s first ministry transformed British politics by its response to needed reform measures in Ireland and in education, the military, and the structure and administration of the British government. Gladstone understood the impact of the Reform Acts of 1867-1868 extending the vote, and he recognized democracy as a historical force that would be further evident in 1885, which saw additional legislation, giving all men the right to vote.
Gladstone’s domestic agenda during his first ministry set the tone for British politics to 1914, when World War I began; Gladstone’s Liberals and the Conservatives vied with one another in their attempts to gain and sustain the loyalty of the voters. Gladstone also recognized the importance of building and reinforcing the Liberal Party
Gladstone’s hope that Britain would restrain its imperial ambitions and avoid entangling alliances and alignments with European powers did not succeed. Indeed, Liberal governments prior to 1914 were actively, though secretly, involved in expanding Britain’s diplomatic commitments.
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Beeler, John F. British Naval Policy in the Gladstone-Disraeli Era, 1866-1880. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 1997. An important scholarly work on how Gladstone and Disraeli developed naval policy within the context of national security and imperial considerations. -
Biagini, Eugenio F. Gladstone. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2000. Part of the British History in Perspective series, this book is useful as an introduction to many of the issues that were reflected in Gladstone’s policies and decisions. -
Feuchtwanger, E. J. Gladstone. London: Allen Lane, 1975. A very readable and still-useful introduction to the life of William Gladstone. -
Jagger, Peter John, ed. Gladstone. London: Hambledon Press, 1998. A series of essays on Gladstone’s life, his politics, and his tenure as prime minister. -
Jenkins, Roy. Gladstone: A Biography. New York: Random House, 1997. A worthwhile and readable biography of Gladstone by the late Labour Party leader and Chancellor of the Exchequer. -
Matthew, Henry Colin Gray. Gladstone, 1809-1898. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. Originally published in two volumes (Gladstone, 1809-1874, and Gladstone, 1875-1898), Matthew’s biography remains the most authoritative and comprehensive work on Gladstone. -
Partridge, Michael Stephen. Gladstone. New York: Routledge, 2003. A solid biography of Gladstone that provides a balanced and critical analysis of the Liberal leader. -
Willis, Michael. Gladstone and Disraeli: Principles and Policies. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1989. A scholarly comparative analysis of the concepts that motivated William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli and how those values were reflected in their domestic and foreign policies. -
Winstanley, Michael. Gladstone and the Liberal Party. New York: Routledge, 1990. A useful guide for undergraduate students that focuses on issues related to Gladstone as a politician.
British Parliament Passes the Reform Act of 1832
Wilson Launches The Economist
British Parliament Passes the Reform Act of 1867
Irish Tenant Farmers Stage First “Boycott”
British Parliament Passes the Franchise Act of 1884
Irish Home Rule Debate Dominates British Politics
Lord Acton; F. H. Bradley; John Bright; Joseph Chamberlain; Benjamin Disraeli; William Edward Forster; William Ewart Gladstone; Lord Palmerston; Charles Stewart Parnell; Sir Robert Peel; John Russell; Third Marquis of Salisbury; Queen Victoria.