William Gladstone

Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first female Prime Minister on May 4th, 1979. Some other firsts claimed by those occupying the country's highest office.

The poets Gerard Manley Hopkins and Coventry Patmore both subscribed to a Tory world view, fiercely opposing the reforms of Prime Minister Gladstone. But their correspondence reveals two very different personalities, says Gerald Roberts.

Kevin Haddick Flynn looks at the attempt of the Grand Old Man of Liberalism to solve the Irish question and his conversion to Home Rule in the mid-1880s.

York Membery looks back to the crunch 1920s election which saw the party of Gladstone narrowly pushed into third place – a position from which it has never recovered.

Mark Rathbone compares Gladstone's and Disraeli's differing approaches to a crucial foreign policy issue.

Michael Partridge charts the changing political views of the Grand Old Man of 19th-century British politics.

Roland Quinault discusses Gladstone’s view of the Second Afghan War both in opposition and during his premiership.

Michael Morrogh explains why Gladstone took up the cause of Irish home rule and why his policies failed so tragically.

Trevor Fischer takes a second look at the Victorian prime minister's fascination with street-walkers.

The equation of sound money and balanced budgets with moral probity became difficult to maintain once the high point of 'laissez-faire' had been reached in Gladstone's mid-Victorian financial policies.