Disraelis Foreign Policy

There never was a moment in our history when the power of England was so great
1872. Its what they want to hear. He had, according to Derby, a peculiar pleasure in
discussing all sorts of foreign questions.

Purchase of Suez Canal shares (1875)

o Canal constructed in 1869
o Vital for trade with India
o Raised 4,000,000 to buy shares from ruler of Egypt
o Did not have time to clear this with the government
o Gladstone unhappy with extra foreign entanglement
o Disraeli paints it as a great triumph (although technically the shares, being
mortgaged, did not give Britain control)

Bulgarian Atrocities
o Christians revolt against Turkish Muslims, publicly endorsed by Russia
o Brutal slaughter of all Christians, including non-combatants, by Turks
o Disraeli, knowing Turkey had to be propped up and misjudging the public
mood, calls talk of the massacres coffee-house babble
o Gladstone returns from retirement to demand the Turks leave Bulgaria
bag and baggage and writes The Bulgarian Horrors and the Question of
the East
Foreign intervention was a serious issue but justified by the scale
of the atrocities
400,000 copies sold
Most of the clergy back him
Disraeli called him an unprincipled maniac
Others accused him of being a Russian spy
o Full scale of massacres become known and Disraeli is caught out
o Severe misjudgement from Disraeli
Did have some support from established press
Gladstone claimed that there was nothing serious or sincere in any
of his [Disraelis] utterance
Eastern Crisis
o Disraeli argued Russia should be stopped
o Gladstone took opposing view
o Public backed Disraeli
o Jingoism we dont want to fight/but by Jingo if we do/weve got the
men, weve got the ships, weve got the money too
o Victory for Russia creates Big Bulgaria, a Russian puppet
o Congress of Berlin attempts to negate this
Big Bulgaria carved up and replaced by Little Bulgaria
Britain gets Cyprus

Peace with honour

Die alte Jude; das is der mann! Bismarck

Afghanistan
o In 1878, Afghanistan seemed to be drifting into the Russian sphere
accepting Russian delegations but refusing British ones
o Lytton, man on the spot, ordered troops into Kabul
o Early successes but civil war by 1879
o Gladstone: the sanctity of life in the hill villages of Afghanistanis as
inviolable in the eyes of Almighty God as your own
o Lengthy, protracted, difficult and unsuccessful Britain forced to
withdraw

Zulus
o Cause: The Zulus. Zulus exterminated. Peace with Zulus.
o Bartle Frere provokes Cetawayo, chief of Zulus by ordering them to
disarm
o This fails and by 1879 the Zulu War had broken out
o Disaster at Isandhlwana
o Heroic defence at Rourkes Drift (11 VCs)
o Gladstone rails against Beaconsfieldism