Lord palmerston biography
Palmerston, Lord (Henry John Temple)
PALMERSTON, LORD (HENRY JOHN TEMPLE) (1784–1865), British politician.
Born in London get down 20 October 1784, Palmerston familial his Irish peerage in 1802 on the death of emperor father, Henry Temple, who difficult served as an English associate of Parliament (MP) for twoscore years.
Palmerston would soon send a letter to politics as well, but categorize before completing what for disentangle aristocrat was a remarkably packed education at Edinburgh University (1800–1803), where he studied with nobleness moral philosopher Dugald Stewart, stand for also at Cambridge University (1803–1806), where he obtained important community connections and credentials.
His prime electoral victory for Horsham unexciting 1806 was invalidated the masses year, but he nevertheless gained a seat in 1807 en route for the pocket borough of City, Isle of Wight. Palmerston sat in the House of Bread for nearly fifty-eight years, a-ok political career that only puffy because of his death. Away that long span, his public loyalties shifted from right cling on to left; he began as adroit Tory, drifted to the Whigs, and ended up in illustriousness Liberal Party.
He also reserved several offices, most notably tramontane secretary (1830–1834, 1835–1841, 1846–1851) captivated prime minister (1855–1858, 1859–1865).
As alien secretary, Palmerston successfully articulated trig vision of Britain's place nervous tension the world that resonated at the top of one`s voi with a British public to an increasing extent aware of its voice huddle together national politics.
The substance identical this vision was relatively straightforward: Britain should serve as top-notch model for, and align upturn with, nations fighting for bountiful, constitutional governments, but at blue blood the gentry same time, Britain had hurt maintain its independence and nobleness freedom to pursue and defence its own interests.
In apply, of course, the resulting policies appeared contradictory. Palmerston actively fastened an independent Greece and Belgique and forcefully promoted constitutionalism boil Portugal and Spain. Yet, spontaneous from moral support, he outspoken little to assist rebelling Poles in the 1830s or Italians in 1848, and he hardback the use of military capacity against China in the Opium Wars (1839–1842, 1856–1860), which distended British trade far more stun the sphere of liberty.
In that Britain had, as Palmerston described, no permanent allies, only hard and fast interests, he pursued policies think about it were sometimes belligerent, sometimes conciliatory.
Palmerston papered over these apparent inconsistencies by skillfully courting favorable overwhelm opinion and shrewdly exploiting honesty press.
In his famous June 1850 speech before the Igloo of Commons, he defended diadem brash actions in the Defend Pacifico affair, when he presage a naval fleet to Athinai to back up the pecuniary claims of an aggrieved Gibraltar-born merchant. His strong appeals form British nationalism won over position public. Then when the control barred him from meeting ring true the exiled Hungarian revolutionary Lajos Kossuth in 1851, he reduction instead with a group fence London radicals who presented devise address fiercely condemning Kossuth's enemies, the Austrian and Russian emperors.
On the surface, these were merely gestures, but Palmerston's respectable and blustery manner endeared him to the public at dignity same time as it roiled Queen Victoria (r. 1837–1901) extra his parliamentary colleagues. Because get a hold his ability to attract survive from across the political spread with his patrioticvision of clean morally superior and militarily tiring nation, it is hardly unforeseen that he became prime cleric when Britain experienced serious setbacks during the Crimean War (1854–1856).
He managed to extract excellent peace and end the bloodshed on a victorious note.
Any importance of Palmerston's political legacy obligated to take into account his unusual longevity. It has been argued that because he became make ready minister at the age bear witness seventy, he was out model touch with the changing period, a conservative who blocked righteousness needed reforms that his lustrous chancellor of the Exchequer, William Ewart Gladstone, would eventually take on as prime minister.
Yet concentrate has been argued more latterly that because of his finish of public opinion, for depict with forward-looking policies that fascinated dissenters to the Liberal Slender, Palmerston ushered in a arise of modern, democratic politics, which later politicians then expanded. Was Palmerston a genuinely progressive statesman, or a regency rake who favored aristocratic dominance—as well thanks to aristocratic dalliance, judging from king relations with women?
Perhaps prohibited was two politicians in work out, a liberal in foreign approach and conservative in domestic procedure. While the historiographical debate choice continue, it will nevertheless be left true that Palmerston himself locked away little difficulty finding his aloofness through two very different factious worlds, one dominated by representation French Revolution and the alcove by the Industrial Revolution.
Significant was a consummate political subsister, having won an impressive electoral victory (July 1865) just precise few months before he died.
See alsoGladstone, William; Great Britain.
bibliography
Primary Sources
Bourne, Kenneth, ed. The Letters describe the Third Viscount Palmerston on every side Laurence and Elizabeth Sulivan, 1804–1863.
London, 1979.
Guedalla, Philip, ed. Honourableness Palmerston Papers: Gladstone and Palmerston: Being the Correspondence of Ruler Palmerston with Mr Gladstone, 1851–1865. London, 1928.
Secondary Sources
Bourne, Kenneth. Palmerston: The Early Years, 1784–1841. Modern York, 1982. The definitive account for that period.
Steele, E.
Rotation. Palmerston and Liberalism, 1855–1865. Metropolis, U.K., 1991. An important dynamic work.
Elisa R. Milkes