He had nightmares about the decline and disintegration of the British Empire and was wary of over committing Britain leading him to adopt a cautious policy in Africa in his early years as a Prime Minister and consider returning Egypt to the Ottoman Empire. Lord Salisbury Quotes. QuotesGram Letter: from Lord Salisbury, Prime Minister, to Emily Faithfull - Jisc Wright wrote in the preface to the first volume that the project would have been "in vain" had he not received the donation from Balfour. Roberts, Andrew. Balfour said of himself, "I am more or less happy when being praised, not very comfortable when being abused, but I have moments of uneasiness when being explained. He never married. ", Mathew, William M. "The Balfour Declaration and the Palestine Mandate, 19171923: British Imperialist Imperatives. [14][7], Balfour divided his time between politics and academic pursuits. [18], On the death of W. H. Smith in 1891, Balfour became First Lord of the Treasury the last in British history not to have been concurrently prime minister as well and Leader of the House of Commons. Salisbury's independent spirit: "Salisbury made British foreign policy entirely by himself, helpfully inured by his peerage from the clamour of the Commons. Cannon & Crowcroft 2015 stress the importance of the AngloFrench Entente of 1904, and the establishment of the Committee of Imperial Defence. Balfour downplayed the factor of Irish nationalism, arguing that the real issues were economic. [49], Balfour resigned as foreign secretary following the Versailles Conference in 1919, but continued in the government (and the Cabinet after normal peacetime political arrangements resumed) as Lord President of the Council. It would cost money, but all sides proved amenable. London: Profile Books, 2014. Oct 14, 2016 - Explore Aaron Blom's board "Lord Salisbury, prime minister of Great Britain" on Pinterest. Within a year of becoming Prime Minister, Salisbury had come to the conclusion, with the help of explorer Harry Johnstone, that Britain should seek to create an area of influence that stretched from the Cape to the Nile delta. He disliked pro-consuls who wanted to annex adjoining territories or generals who had too large an appetite for conquest. Lord Cranbrook succeeds him as Secretary for War while remaining Lord President. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Joseph Chamberlain, Colonial Secretary in Salisburys 3rd cabinet. Whether his splendid isolation policy, as his critics called it, could have kept Britain out of the First World War is a moot point, but if he had been in charge in 1914 matters would have been handled differently. His own health was failing, and in 1900 he finally handed over the reins of the Foreign Office to Lord Lansdowne. Despite the conferences failure to secure greater rights and land for Bulgarian and Herzogvinian subjects in Ottoman territory, it catapulted Salisbury into the political spotlight. CambridgeHistorical Journal5, no. Even before his official appointment on 2 April, Salisbury single-handedly drafted a circular calling for a congress of European nations to re-examine the terms of the San Stefano Treaty, which was duly approved and dispatched to the great powers. Now read Avans series on First World War historiographyhere. After the First World War, when there was controversy over the style of headstone proposed for use on British war graves being taken on by the Imperial War Graves Commission, Balfour submitted a design for a cruciform headstone. In the latter sport, he had a handicap of eight at the time he was Prime Minister, he won the Parliamentary Handicap between members of parliament in 1894, 1897 and 1910, and served as captain both of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in 1894 and the newly founded Lye club in 1895. Lord Salisbury: Preeminent British Prime Minister in Late - YouTube Salisbury, meanwhile, had died at Hatfield in 1903. He was not rigidly opposed to change and his government laid the foundations of the welfare state in the 1890s, but he distrusted emotionalism, theorists and phrase-mongers, and his administrations were sparing with new legislation. Lord Lansdowne took over while Salisbury soldiered on as prime minister. TerritoriesoftheBritishEmpireinchronologicalorder, HowimportantwasEmpireinbringingaboutWorldWarOne. In achievement and ability he was at least the equal of Disraeli and Gladstone though less well remembered. It became his policy to extend British interests from the Cape northwards into central Africa, from the Nile delta southwards into the Sudan and from Zanzibar westwards to control the headwaters of the Nile. Lord Salisbury was the last prime minister to run Britain from the House of Lords, for most of the period between June 1885 and his retirement in 1902. "Balfour, Arthur James, first Earl of Balfour (18481930)", Davis, Peter. Salisburys power declined following the Second Boer War, which broke out against his will in 1899. Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (1830-1903) They culminated in the final Unionist land purchase programme of 1903, when Balfour was prime minister and George Wyndham was the Irish secretary. Salisbury is associated with a policy of splendid isolation. [7] The Liberal party was still disorganised over the Boers. He was considered a dilettante by his colleagues; regardless, Lord Salisbury gave increasingly powerful posts in his government to his nephew. Let us know what you think of Lord Salisbury below. He thought that the cohesion of the empire would evolve through improved cooperation and not through schemes of federation. He secured the Entente Cordiale with France, an alliance that ended centuries of intermittent conflict between the two states and their predecessors. After 1890 violence declined sharply, and as Balfour had hoped, Irish nationalism was a relatively minor factor. Unionist government, 1895-1905 - Wikipedia This commitment to a lack of commitment was seen by Salisburys Conservative colleagues not as a deliberate choice, but rather a continuity of a longstanding preference in British - and prior to 1707 English - foreign policy. He preferred to deal in international diplomacy because he could conduct policy on a personal basis without constantly referring himself to Parliament. The Mitchelstown Massacre occurred on 9 September 1887, when Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) members fired at a crowd protesting against the conviction under the Act of MP William O'Brien and another man. [37], Balfour's introduction of Chinese coolie labour in South Africa enabled the Liberals to counterattack, charging that his measures amounted to "Chinese slavery". It fetches and carries for him. .mw-parser-output div.crossreference{padding-left:0}.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}Cabinet members are listed in bold face. Legislation was vetoed or altered by amendments between 1906 and 1909, leading David Lloyd George to remark that the Lords was "the right hon. He will be terribly disappointed." British Prime Ministers: Salisbury | History Today [50] In October 1922 he, with most of the Conservative leadership, resigned with Lloyd George's government following the Carlton Club meeting, a Conservative back-bench revolt against continuance of the coalition. Help Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (1830-1903), Prime Minister; Trustee of the National Portrait Gallery Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury Sitter associated with 82 portraits Conservative politician who was elected prime minister on three separate occasions: 1885-6, 1886-92 and 1895-1902. At his request a public funeral was declined, and he was buried on 22 March beside members of his family at Whittingehame in a Church of Scotland service although he also belonged to the Church of England. During the last quarter century of the c19th the British Empire was at the very centre of politics and cultural affairs. The Empire served not just merchants and industrialists but also settlers, missionaries, explorers, financiers and those seeking service within the Colonial Office and the armed forces. From 1891 he led the Conservative Party in the House of Commons, serving under his uncle, Lord Salisbury, whose government won large majorities in 1895 and 1900. [9]:2933, Historian R. J. Q. Adams points out that May's letters discuss her love life in detail, but contain no evidence that she was in love with Balfour, nor that he had spoken to her of marriage. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second marquess. [53], As a philosopher, Balfour formulated the basis for the evolutionary argument against naturalism. Salisbury served as Prime Minister three times for a total of over thirteen years. "Lord Salisbury and the Eastern Question, 1890-1898." The economic-industrial disparity between Britain and other European great powers was closing, and from the New World the United States was also narrowing the gap. Dalya Alberge Sun 21 Nov 2021 05.15 EST Last modified on Mon 22 Nov 2021 11.10 EST Britain has long faced calls to return the Benin bronzes, looted by its soldiers in 1897 from the kingdom of. Salisbury continues to be Prime Minister, logical evidence for support of war? By 1905 few Unionist MPs were still free traders (Winston Churchill crossed to the Liberals in 1904 when threatened with deselection at Oldham), but Balfour's act had drained his authority within the government. From William Ewart Gladstone and His. Lord Randolph Churchill | British Statesman & Father of Winston [68] At an exhibition in August 1919, it drew many criticisms; the commission's principal architect, Sir John Burnet said that Balfour's cross, if used in large numbers in cemeteries, would create a criss-cross visual effect, destroying any sense of "restful diginity"; Edwin Lutyens called it "extraordinarily ugly", and its shape was variously described as resembling a shooting target or bottle. The major European powers were wanting to carve out their own empires, mainly in Africa. This was not sufficient for either the free traders or the extreme tariff reformers in government. He was a great reader, with a special interest in science. History of Robert Cecil - GOV.UK I rather think of having a career of my own. He was sincere in his conservatism, mistrusting radical political and social change and believing deeply in the Union with Ireland, the Empire and the superiority of the British race.Those who dismissed him as a languid dilettante were wide of the mark. [24][25], In 18861892 he became one of the most effective public speakers of the age. There is agreement about his achievements, as represented by G. M. Trevelyan: But Trevelyan admits that, "owing to the portentous character of the electoral catastrophe of 1906 that claim is not always been allowed; yet Balfour had done great things on his own initiative and by his own strength of character. Balfour was the subject of two parody novels based on, The character Arthur Balfour plays a supporting, off-screen role in, A fictionalised version of Arthur Balfour (identified as "Mr. Balfour") appears as British prime minister in the science fiction romance, The indecisive Balfour (identified as "Halfan Halfour") appears in "Ministers of Grace", a satirical short story by, On 5 May 1922 Balfour was raised to the peerage as. Only 157 Conservatives were returned to the Commons, at least two-thirds followers of Chamberlain, who chaired the Conservative MPs until Balfour won a by-election for a safe seat in the City of London. Accessed August 22, 2021. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3020834. And we are told that this is a great revising Chamber, the safeguard of liberty in the country. "[45] Historians also praised the Anglo-French Convention (1904), which formed the basis of the Entente Cordiale with France that proved decisive in 1914. Bonar Law became prime minister. In 192122 he represented the British Empire at the Washington Naval Conference and during summer 1922 stood in for the foreign secretary, Lord Curzon, who was ill. At the end of 1928, most of his teeth were removed and he suffered the unremitting circulatory trouble which ended his life. [47] Christabel pleaded direct to meet Balfour as Conservative party leader, on their policy manifesto for the General Election of 1909, but he refused again as women's suffrage was "not a party question and his colleagues were divided on the matter". Copyright www.historyisnowmagazine.com 2012-2023. He much preferred foreign affairs and international diplomacy for he believed he was better able to control matters. Harold Begbie, a journalist, attacked him for what Begbie considered Balfour's self-obsession: This Balfourian manneran attitude of mindan attitude of convinced superiority which insists in the first place on complete detachment from the enthusiasms of the human race, and in the second place on keeping the vulgar world at arm's length.To Mr. Arthur Balfour this studied attitude of aloofness has been fatal, both to his character and to his career. [18], With Lord Salisbury's resignation on 11 July 1902, Balfour succeeded him as prime minister, with the approval of all the Unionist party. An esteemed debater, he was bored by the mundane tasks of party management. In foreign policy, the Anglo-French Convention (1904), which formed the basis of the Entente with France. Salisbury took a Darwinian view of the world in the late c19th believing there existed a death struggle between nations. He resigned in July, recommending his nephew Arthur Balfour as his successor. He soon re-entered Parliament and continued to serve as Leader of the Opposition throughout the crisis over Lloyd George's 1909 budget, the narrow loss of two further General Elections in 1910, and the passage of the Parliament Act 1911. Africa in the Cold War: The Biggest Battlefield between the Soviets and the US? (1891) leader of the House of Commons and first lord of the treasury, thus being second in command to Lord Salisbury. These were taxes on imported goods with trade preference given to the Empire, to protect British industry from competition, strengthen the Empire in the face of growing German and American economic power, and provide revenue, other than raising taxes, for the social welfare legislation. He was buried next to his wife, and his statue by Sir George Frampton sits majestically outside the gates of Hatfield House today, contemplating a quite singularly uninspiring railway station. Men are not born equal, the white and black races are not born with equal capacities: they are born with different capacities which education cannot and will not change. Margot Tennant (later Margot Asquith) wished to marry him, but Balfour said: "No, that is not so. During W.E. He denounced missionaries as vulgar radicals and believed the empire existed just to advance the wealth and power of Britain. [75] [42] Balfour gave strong support for Jackie Fisher's naval reforms. History is Now Magazine, Podcasts, Blog and Books | Modern International and American history, The British Leader at the Height of Empire: Lord Salisbury, How the 1952 US Election Led to the Modern Election Campaign, The Modern Military History of India: Part 1 - The Indian Campaigns of 1897 and the Bravery of the Sikh Infantry, The Treatment of the Native Americans in the Early 19th Century. Having become Prime Minister during his nation's greatest hour of peril, Churchill repeatedly had his attention irritatingly distracted from the Battle of Britain by the need to move the Windsors out of harm's way and the foolish attempts by the Duke to set terms under the circumstances. Avan Fata explains. His policy of splendid isolation however, was judged by his successors to be a relic of a bygone Victorian age, and Britain would enter into her first mutual defense pact with Japan in 1902. Arthur Balfour - Wikipedia decade after decade they are weaker, poorer and less provided in men or institutions in which they can trust' He therefore did not accept the idea that it was Britain's role to take up the 'White Man's Burden' and bring civilisation and development to the poorer nations of the empire. He hated war and regarded it as the final evil and the failure of diplomacy. Darwin, John. [21], In Parliament he resisted overtures to the Irish Parliamentary Party on Home Rule, which he saw as an expression of superficial or false Irish nationalism. A portrait of Balfour by Philip de Laszlo is in the collection of Trinity College, Cambridge.[76]. Lord Salisbury, The Prime Minister at the time of the Jack the Ripper murders. He was Prime Minister for thirteen years and ten months, sixteen months more than Gladstone and longer than any predecessor in the nineteenth century, except Liverpool . Salisburys beloved wife died in 1899 and by November 1900 his burdens were telling on him. Lord Salisbury English Politician Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury KG GCVO PC FRS, styled Lord Robert Cecil before 1865 and Viscount Cranborne from June 1865 until April 1868, was a British Conservative statesman, serving as Prime Minister three times for a total of over 13 years. He resigned as party leader in 1911. [39][40]:46, Historians generally praised Balfour's achievements in military and foreign policy. He then went up to the University of Cambridge, where he read moral sciences at Trinity College (18661869),[6] graduating with a second-class honours degree. Sleepless tact, immovable calmness and patience were, he deemed, the qualities which would allow a diplomat to succeed. He also maintained cordial relationships with Disraeli, Gladstone and other national leaders. He preferred to achieve his objectives by diplomacy and persuasion if possible and use force only if it was absolutely necessary. Balfour duly took office, but he did not inspire the respect that his uncle had commanded. William Henry Smith becomes Chief Secretary for Ireland. All rights reserved. He was Prime Minister on and off during the period from 1885 to 1902 and had a great influence on the country's foreign policy at its colonial height. From 1885 to 1906 he served as the Member of Parliament for Manchester East.