BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND THE PRIMROSE LEAGUE ... - ideals

Salisbury might not at first glance appear to be the individual
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most suited to meet the challenge of the "democratic" age.
He was the
third son of the second Marquis of Salisbury; blessed with a
distinguished lineage on both sides of the family dating back to the
sixteenth century.
His acutely searing wit, his intellectual grasp of
issues, his aloofness, pessimism, and reclusive tendencies were not
necessarily the qualities that come to mind as those most suited for
the task at hand.
Despite these apparent disadvantages, Salisbury was able to put
his considerable talents to good use.
As the third son of a nobleman
he had not expected to inherit the title and consequently had acquired
valuable practical experience first as a paid journalist and
subsequently as a member of parliament before assuming the family title
in the House of Lords in 1868.
His intellectual attributes when
combined with the hard lessons learned in the political arena, produced
a statesman with an extraordinary sense of timing, a thorough knowledge
of the limits of the possible, and an ever-evolving pragmatism in
strategy and outlook which enabled him to take on the daunting
challenge that lay before him.
Salisbury was aided in his efforts by a gradual shift in public
sentiment during the 1880's.
The relative decline of British economic
performance vis-a-vis her chief competitors, the United States and
Germany, the increasing competition for territory which impinged on or
appeared to threaten her imperial possessions, the setbacks in Egypt
Discipline of Popular Government (Hassocks: Harvester Press, 1978).