Victorian Political Parties

During most of the nineteenth century, politics in the Victorian Era reached new heights and defied the old ideals of Britain government. After The Reform Act of 1832 and the transition of power to Victoria in 1837, two distinct political parties began to form. Society in Great Britain aligned themselves with these parties and fought alongside them to have their beliefs heard. The Liberal party led by William Gladstone and the Conservative party primarily led by Benjamin Disraeli were two political parties whose contradicting views and constant battle for power shaped the political structure throughout the Victorian Era.
The Liberal Party and the Conservative party both had very strong views and opinions about the way society and the government
The major differences of those views caused a great split among the people of Great Britain and set the tone for the political battle that would continue through the Reign of Queen Victoria. Prior to the Victorian Era, political groups known as the Whigs and the Tories existed. These two contradicting parties were the basis of the great rivalry to come. The main belief system of the Whigs was passed on to and continued by the Liberal Party. They believed in the power of the people, what people could do if given the opportunity and liberal freedom. This is referred to as individualism and was a main platform for the Liberals. Also, ideas such as increasing education, letting go of traditional Church values, and restricting the power of the monarchy with a more equal parliament were all defining motives for the party to keep fighting against their constant Conservative enemy. This enemy to the Liberal party had their own strict beliefs that they would fight hard and long for.