Dizzy

Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) is regarded as the founder of the modern Conservative Party. Although his ancestry was Jewish, he became one of the most popular politicians of the 19th century. Aspiring to "one nation" Toryism, he stole the liberal's clothes by piloting through Parliament the Reform Bill of 1867 which enfranchised large numbers of working men. His grandiose foreign policy proved popular in an age when Britain really ruled the waves. He bestowed the title of Empress of India on Queen Victoria and acquired Fiji, the Transvaal, Cyprus and the Suez Canal. But it was his personality that was extraordinary. He was a reckless gambler with his career, an accomplished novelist, a deadly debater and a man who adored and was adored by his wife, who he claimed he married for her money. Hesketh Pearson's biography presents a glimpse of politics in a more colourful age.