The Lion and the Unicorn

Here is great background to question #2 from tonight’s homework:

Review: Why did “1848” not happen in Britain?

• Reform Act of 1832 (Spielvogel, 604)
• Repeal of Corn Law, led by Tories/Robert Peel, 1846 (ibid., 605)

These actions ushered in the relatively stable Victorian Age (ibid., 635-636)

• Queen Victoria (r. 1837-1901): longest reign in English history
• duty and moral responsibility
• Lord Palmerston (Whig): Prime Minister, 1855-1865
• neither a conservative nor a reformer (read six paragraphs down at this link)

Disraeli and Gladstone (Read the two short sections below on Spielvogel, 636)

• Disraeli and the Reform Act of 1867
• The Liberal Policies of Gladstone

And now... read this short and fascinating account of the two men’s rivalry on BBC’s Victorians web site. (This is a great site in general- you could spend hours on it—after doing your homework).

With all this in mind, the situation described on pp. 673-674 is much more understandable.