Rhode Island Historical Society

In April 1880, the Liberals swept to power on the basis of a campaign against Beaconsfieldism. From that time until 20 July 1886, the Liberal leaders controlled the affairs of government, except for approximately six months between Gladstone’s second and third ministries from June 1885 to February 1886. Initially the Liberals had few specific programs in mind for domestic and social reforms. Moreover, a series of crises descended upon them and made it extremely difficult to govern. A rebellion in the Transvaal in 1880–81, Charles Bradlaugh’s refusal to take the oath of office, turmoil in Egypt, General Gordon’s death in Khartoum in 1885, and above all the problems of Ireland were but some of the more divisive issues. Gladstone’s inability to control the machinery of parliamentary government, and Liberal party politics, further eroded Liberal unity.1 Many Liberals were frustrated in their attempts to introduce specific measures for such reforms as that of land, education, municipal government, or Scottish, Welsh, and Irish devolution.KeywordsFair TradeBritish IsleLand ReformLiberal PartyAmerican FederalismThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.