ABSTRACT
British politician and novelist Benjamin Disraeli transformed the Conservative Party in Great Britain into a mass party, ensuring its survival into the twentieth century. Born in London, December 21, 1804, the eldest son of a Jewish family, Disraeli was baptized as an Anglican at his father's behest. Disraeli did not attend university; he was tutored in law and became a clerk in an attorneys office in London in 1821. In Parliament, Disraeli broke with the Conservative Party leadership by opposing the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846. Benjamin Disraeli successfully reconciled conservatism and modern democratic politics, which transformed the Conservative Party into a mass party acceptable to the newly enfranchised working class. Disraeli crafted his parliamentary agenda to appeal to English national pride, working-class interests, and pro-imperial policies, and to reflect the social unity and support for the monarchy that characterized the attitudes of many Britons, regardless of class or social origin.
