“The world is governed by very different personages from what is imagined by those who are not behind the scenes.”

British statesman, Conservative politician and writer

Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, was a British statesman, Conservative politician, and writer. He lived in the 19th century and twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He is also notable as the only British prime minister born into a Jewish family. Disraeli helped shape the modern Conservative Party, setting its policy direction and widening its appeal. He is remembered for his influence in foreign affairs, his long political rivalry with William Ewart Gladstone, and his one-nation conservatism, often called Tory democracy. He also helped make the Conservatives the party most closely associated with the British Empire and with military expansion.