Palmerston Prime Minister for the first time

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.07: English Writing and Culture of the Victorian Period, 1837-1901.
Vol. editors: Gillian Fenwick (University of Toronto), Jessica Gossling (Goldsmiths College, University of London)

Domains

Changes of government, elections and reigns

Dates

Date of occurrence 1855-02-06-1858-02-19

Places

United Kingdom (Location)

Resources

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Lord Aberdeen, the Prime Minister from 1852 to 1855 and leader of a coalition of Free Traders, Peelites and Whigs led by Lord Aberdeen in opposition to Lord Derby's Conservatives and Tories, fell from power after drifting into the Crimean War and then failing to secure a victory. Lord Palmerston had already had a long career, first as a Secretary at War during the Napoleonic Wars, then Foreign Secretary over most of the period from 1830 to 1851, so had a depth of experience of war leadership, with a reputation as interventionist. He focused primarily on winning the Crimean War, a task at which he and his cabinet succeeded in 1856. The following year, he won the general election with a huge majority. His later premiership had to deal with the outbreak of the Second Opium War, which he…

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198 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Palmerston Prime Minister for the first time". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 August 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1855, accessed 26 April 2024.]

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