This book presents a study of Lord Salisbury, British prime minister in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, whose political philosophy was reactionary and defeatist, and who is remembered for an irony that was wounding as well as diverting.

Lord Salisbury was one of the most influential Prime Ministers of the Victorian Age. This book presents an interpretation of his character and ideas which shaped the history of the United Kingdom and the Tory party in the nineteenth century. As Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary, he was awarded with popular, and cross-party, support for the majority of his policies both at home and abroad. The most controversial aspect of his career was his resistance to Irish Home Rule, and this is re-examined in detail.
More than any other British statesman, Lord Salisbury was responsible for the successful international diplomacy that secured Britain's place among the great powers, and he guided the enormous territorial expansion of the British Empire during his time at the Foreign Office.