ABSTRACT
William Gladstone joined the Liberal party in 1859 and was Chancellor under Palmerston and Russell from 1859 to 1866. He was a strong advocate of free trade and low taxation but his relationships with colleagues in the Liberal party were often difficult. However, he led a party with a strong nonconformist base supported by disparate groups and he never truly understood the interests and priorities of many on the radical wing of the Liberal party. Many Liberals from a Palmerston background deserted the government, mostly over the governments education policy, which was thought to be anti-Church of England. Some radical nonconformists, annoyed either by the Education Act or the Licensing Act, or both, put up candidates who split the Liberal vote in the boroughs. Importantly, after the formation of the Home Rule League in Ireland, the Liberals lost their usual majorities there. The 1874 election produced an overall Conservative majority of nearly sixty.
