To what extent was Palmerston a success in his conduct of Foreign Policy 1846-51?

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To what extent was Palmerston a success in his conduct of Foreign Policy 1846-51?

Palmerston was one of the most influential men in British Politics throughout the 19th century. During his years as British Foreign Secretary he had many successful events, which helped him gain a huge reputation. Palmerston was first present in the House of Commons in 1807, and was Prime Minister when he died in 1864 at the age of 81.

Palmerston’s actions in many events between1846-51 lead to a number of successes in his performance as British Foreign Secretary. Throughout 1848 there were revolutions in numerous European countries, inspired by a mixture of liberalism and nationalism. Palmerston’s aim was for the Austrian Empire to survive as a check to Russian expansion. In this event, he took action in trying to influence the result by persuade Austria to grant independence to Lombardy and Venetia. British warships were also dispatched. Here, a general war was avoided and the balance of power restored.

        Another success for Palmerston was the Don Pacifico Affair. He was trying to support a compensation claim after his house was burnt down, though Don Pacifico was only a British Citizen as he was born in Gibraltar. A British fleet was sent to the Mediterranean and used to scare the Greeks into paying. The Port of Athens was also blockaded for a month. This situation helped maintain British prestige and reputation abroad.

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        The Spanish Marriages could be seen as a success yet this had little to do with the efforts of Palmerston. He tried to stop the Spanish Queens from marrying the French, yet Isabella married her cousin Duke of Cadiz, while her sister married the Duke of Montpensier, Louis Philippe’s younger son. This could be described as a diplomatic defeat as Isabella had children, which meant that Montpensier was excluded from the throne.

However, there were many events that caused anger amongst other European powers and even some of successes had a negative effect. Although the Don Pacifico affair was ...

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