The Diplomatic Genius of the Marquess of Salisbury

He participated in the Earl of Derby's cabinet and served as Secretary of State for India (1866). However, he resigned in 1867 over the proposed Parliamentary Election Amendment Bill. A year later, he inherited his father's title and seat in the House of Lords. In 1874 he served as Secretary of State for India in the government of Benjamin Disraeli, although he once said: "The prospect of serving again with this man is a nightmare." However, this proved to be an important 's turning point. He later defended this in a memorable speech: "It is the duty of every Englishman, and of every English party, to accept political failure with all sincerity, and to endeavor to secure the success of those principles to which they are compelled to submit. ."

Soon he was forced to succumb to Disraeli's charms just as Disraeli was forced to succumb to his abilities. At the same time, he established a laboratory for his career in Hatfield, to which he devoted himself, among other hobbies, to photography. Lord Randolph Churchill said, "He never came out of that damned laboratory at Hatfield happy." He was elected honorary chancellor of Oxford University and thanked the delegates who bestowed the honor on him in Latin. At that time, he wrote an article and published it in the Quarterly. He tried hard to persuade Britain to prevent France from ceding Alsace and Lorraine to Germany after the Franco-Prussian War. He wrote: "A ceded territory will become an unforgettable shame."

When Prime Minister Disraeli asked the Queen to become the Empress of India, he wholeheartedly supported it. At this time, the power of the Ottoman Empire was declining, however, the atrocities committed by Turkey were increasing. Salisbury was sent to Istanbul as high commissioner, where he did not gain the confidence of the British expatriates but made friends with the Russian ambassador. He once met the Turkish Sultan Abdul Hamid II, who, among other eccentricities, refused to read anything written in ink. As she was afraid of fire, she was not allowed to light a single candle in his entire palace. Even if Salisbury had thought of bringing back an international solution from here, he was quickly disillusioned.

He returned to find a warm welcome from the cabinet; they knew that his mission was almost impossible, and that he was doing a good job. At this time, Russian forces were advancing southward in the Balkans and Caucasus. By the spring of 1878, Russian troops were stationed on the outskirts of Constantinople. The Turkish Sultan called for British intercession, and Disraeli sent a British fleet to spy on the Russian army; whales and elephants, as Bismarck called them, were within striking distance of each other. The House of Commons voted to allocate 6 million pounds for military preparations; Lord Derby fifteenth resigned as foreign secretary and Salisbury succeeded him.

The first thing he did was to draft a circular letter to the five European powers, proposing a basic plan to resolve all disputes including the "Eastern Question"; the Russians could not be allowed to Be the sole architect of peace; any treaty between Russia and Turkey must be preceded by a European treaty. The circular was issued before Salisbury became Foreign Secretary and was a decisive document. He was Disraeli's right-hand man at the Berlin Conference, and, bored by the official celebrations ("That nasty princess asked me to have lunch at Potsdam ***"), he made a special trip to Dresden, where he Anglican church services were held as a pastime. After their triumphant return together, Salisbury, along with his superiors, was awarded the Order of the Garter, which he reluctantly accepted. However, he insisted that the most enjoyable thing about his stay in Berlin was the opportunity to discuss electromagnetism with the physicist Hermann Helmholtz. As for the outcome of the negotiations, he said: "Europe was quiet for a few months, and it was interesting to watch the Czar (Alexander II) return to normalcy.

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