Queen Victoria by Bartley Paula;

Author:Bartley, Paula; [Paula Bartley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 4391957
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Louis Napoleon and Palmerston's dismissal

In late 1851 the Queen had her revenge on Palmerston. On 2 December the French president, Louis Napoleon, who was due to step down from government, organised a coup d’état so that he could remain in office. The British government – largely because of Queen Victoria’s insistence – agreed to adopt a position of neutrality towards the French position. Naturally, the Queen’s loyalty to the French royal family who were still living in Britain made her think that Louis Napoleon was a usurper. In contrast, Palmerston, without informing either his colleagues or the Queen, told the French Ambassador that he, and by inference the government, approved of Louis Napoleon’s new role. Inevitably, his action angered the Queen who commented on ‘what an extraordinary and unprincipled man Ld P is and how devoid of every feeling of honour and consistency’34 and – yet again – pressurised Russell to dismiss his foreign secretary. This time, Russell obeyed and accused Palmerston of ‘violations of prudence and decorum’ and asked for his resignation because ‘the conduct of foreign affairs can no longer be left in your hands’.35 It was a sobering and humiliating moment for Palmerston but the Queen’s relief was ‘great and we felt quite excited by the news, for our anxiety and worry during the last 5 years and ½ which was indescribable was mainly, if not entirely, caused by him. It is a great and unexpected mercy.’36

However, it was to be a pyrrhic victory for the Queen. When Victoria pressed her government to review its foreign policy, her appeals went unheeded in the Cabinet. Moreover, when the news reached the press about Palmerston’s resignation, it was met with universal disapproval: some even believed that Russell had forced his most popular, patriotic and able minister to resign because of pressure from the Queen, who was herself under the undue influence of Prince Albert. Indeed, a section of the press insinuated that Lord Palmerston’s resignation was due to ‘an influence behind the throne’. ‘It is quite sufficient’, one radical newspaper reported ‘for the English people to be ridden rough-shed over by their own native oligarchy, without being subjected to the sinister influence of the “Royal Highness” of one of the paltriest hole-and-corner nooks in Europe. . . the Puddledock Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.’37 In the eyes of the press and the British population, Palmerston was a domestic hero, a defender of the national interest and a campaigner against autocracy; some called for him to replace Russell as prime minister. More worryingly, Palmerston remained a potent political force, no longer constrained by ministerial office.

In February 1852, Palmerston wreaked his revenge by – perhaps inadvertently – bringing down the Russell government. When he put forward an amendment to a minor Militia Bill, it quickly turned into vote of confidence in the government. Palmerston’s amendment was carried and Lord Russell and his government were forced to resign. The Conservative Lord Derby became prime minister in what was dubbed the ‘Who? Who? Ministry’ because the ministers were all considered nonentities.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.