Gladstone and Disraeli were two contrasting politician not only in parliament but in their background, there origins were also poles apart. On the one hand you have a very stereotypical politician, a man of principles and religion, (Gladstone) however on the other hand you have a man with little or no principles his commitment to the religion was very much doubted he certainly didn’t practise his religion, the only reason why he had taken up the religion was to be able to join member of parliament (Disraeli). There difference in education is also very contrasting, Gladstone went to Eton College which was a prestigious college founded by King Henry VI however Disraeli went to Higham Hall School in Walthamstow it was a state school it wasn’t a prestigious state school but an ordinary school. Their religious background was also distinct from one another, Gladstone had a Christian background however Disraeli had a Jewish background. Disraeli religious background would have caused a few problems in getting into parliament however he was christened when he was 13yr which allowed him to join member of parliament.
The wealth of these two men was diverse especially there family background of wealth. Gladstone had a wealthy father who was a land owner and of noble birth which was ideal to become a member of parliament however Disraeli didn’t have any of this his father wasn’t particularly rich nor was he a land owner or a noble. So Disraeli didn’t have a stereotypical background because you needed background similar to Gladstone be able join member of parliament. This wealthy background was almost expected from every member of parliament because no salary was paid to an mp.
The relationships that these two men had was quite similar in saying both marriages of these two men was a success Disraeli was married to a extremely wealthy widow a Mrs. Wyndham Lewis there marriage was a great success on one occasions Disraeli remarked that he had married for money, and his wife replied, "Ah! but if you had to do it again, you would do it for love." This suggest that they were in love with one another. Gladstone’s marriage was a success Catherine Glynne, the daughter of Sir Stephen Glynne of Hawarden Castle. The Glynnes were an old Whig family and Catherine was related through her mother to the Grenville family. The couple were married the following month and had a family of four boys and four girls. In January 1840 Gladstone began his work of rescuing and rehabilitating London prostitutes and in 1848 he founded the Church Penitentiary Association for the Reclamation of Fallen Women. Both men did have a stereotypical marriage in the world of politics.
The early careers of these two men were contrasting from one another Disraeli had failed his early careers. His first career that his father destined him to be was going into law however he never became a solicitor. He then decide to become a novelist he wrote a few novels which weren’t a great success, he then turned to the stock market where he gained major debts however on the other William Gladstone’s early careers was straight into politics he had a few roles which were undersecretary for war and the colonies, in Peel's second ministry, he became vice president and president of the Board of Trade. He introduced the first government regulation of the railroads, and then colonial secretary. He was supporter of free trade and then resigned in1846 with Peel in the party split that followed failure of the corn laws and gradually associated himself more and more with the Liberals. These two men had very distinctive early careers on the one hand you have a failure and on the other hand you have a very successive early career in politics.
The habits of these two men were also very distinctive Gladstone had very good habits such rescuing prostitutes in London however Disraeli’s habits were awful this habits consisted of gambling and drinking which is very the contrasting from one another. You can see quite clearly which one would be a more stereotypical politician.
In conclusion the reason why Gladstone’s background a more stereotypical one than Disraeli’s in the world of politics was because of a few factors which were education ,religion ,family background ,wealth ,relationships ,early careers and habits these factors make up a stereotypical politician. A stereotypical politician would have a excellent education, they would be religious they would have to follow Christianity or the church of England, there background would have to be noble and wealthy, they would be normally at the age that Disraeli and Gladstone were to be expected to have a happy marriage, their early careers would have had to be a success and their habits would have been good habits. Disraeli didn’t have most of these factors above however he stil managed to climb the greasy pole. Disraeli wasn’t a stereotypical politician because of the factors above for example he had failed his early carers and lifestyle was different and his background was not expected in the world of politics however even after 4 attempts to get in to politics once he had reached the top he had been famously quoted “I have climbed to the top of the greasy pole!”
