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The intractable problems posed by the decline of the Ottoman Empire were a defining feature of the nineteenth-century British experience. Events such as the Greek War of Independence (1821-32), the Crimean War (1853-5), and the Bulgarian Agitation (1876-8) were merely prominent denouements in the protracted history of what contemporaries called 'the Eastern Question'. The Eastern Question could be construed in many ways and admitted many answers. But by the 1870s, many Victorians had come to construe the Eastern Question as primarily an historical question. This thesis explores the ways in which Victorian public intellectuals brought 'historical-mindedness' to bear on the Eastern Question. Nineteenth-century historiography, it is suggested, may often be understood as a variety of contemporary political thought. Part One takes the historian E.A. Freeman, one of the Bulgarian Agitation's leaders, as its subject. Studied in depth, Freeman becomes a window onto how nineteenth-century intellectuals could experience and understand the Eastern Question. Part Two turns to the remarkable efflorescence of historical writing elicited by the so-called Eastern Crisis of 1875-80, investigating how historical arguments were invoked not merely in history books but also in newspaper reports, politically-freighted travel writing, and above all in periodical articles, over two-hundred of which are studied here. When Gladstone invoked the authority of 'the historical school of England' to criticise Lord Beaconsfield during this period, he did so advisedly, for historians both lay and professional were remarkably unanimous in their interpretation of events in south-eastern Europe. Drawing on the insights of comparative philology and often sympathetic to Eastern Orthodoxy for reasons of religion, these historians tended to emphasise the Balkan Christians' European identity, situating them within teleological narratives of progress which evoke contemporaneous Whig histories of England.

This thesis examines the Egyptian and Sudanese policy of Gladstone's Second Ministry. Sources include microfilms of letters from the prime ministers to the Queen, and Cabinet papers. Essential were Hansard, The Times, and Herslet, as well as biographical and autobiographical studies of the persons involved. The thesis narrates the Egyptian events preceding the formation of Gladstone's Ministry. It then discusses the revolt in Egypt, which resulted in British occupation, and the Mahdi's rebellion in the Sudan, which led to the fall of Khartoum. The thesis concludes that Gladstone failed because he did not want Britain to be in Egypt or the Sudan. Therefore, there was no consistent policy, and his failures were among the elements that led to the fall of his Government.

My diploma thesis is mainly concentrating on analyses of relationships between English (British) and Irish people from the time when the 'Great Famine' just past until the First World War. It aims to highlight the key events and analyses it is impact on both countries relationship to each other. Since 1801, when Ireland had become a part of Great Britain and the relations between the Brits (English) and Irish narrowed down by joining these countries. The famine in large scale has very negatively affected their relations and since then the Irish tried to gain more and more independence of the authorities in their country, and above all re-establish the Parliament of Ireland. Their actions were supported and represented by resistance organisation 'Home Rule', which Irish nationalists were tightening to with hope. Since seventies of 19th century Irish parliamentarians was urging demands in order to self- administrate on own parliament soil. The Home Rule Bill, which was also promoted by British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone, was however two times disapproved by the parliament. Only in 1914, after restriction the right of veto of the House of Lords by Parliament Act 1911, the Irish Home Rule Bill passed. However, unfortunately for the Irish, the beginning of the First World War intercept it is...

! Victorian period is the golden age in British history. During the 1870s Great Britain was still the leading world power and Benjamin Disraeli had a credit for that. This dissertation deals with his attitude to Empire, his ideas about British foreign policy and his objections to Liberal foreign policy, specifically against his rival William E. Gladstone. It also presents important events during Disraeli's second ministry and evaluates his influence on British foreign policy.