‘That Miserable Party Spirit’

Chapter 4 considers Mary’s relationship with the Conservative Party in the late 1860s and early 1870s. In order to examine the influential role Mary played at the heart of the Conservative Party, this chapter considers three connected case studies. The first considers the disquiet over Disraeli’s leadership of the Conservative Party during the years 1868–1874 and examines the attempts by Mary and her political allies to oust him as leader. The second case study examines the intersections between Mary and the 1874 Conservative cabinet. It pays particular attention to her pivotal role in the formation of that cabinet. The third case study develops this narrative and explores her involvement in the processes and tensions of cabinet government during the years 1874–1876. In doing so, it considers the challenges and constraints offered up by the post-1867 landscape. Significantly, this chapter also casts new light on the fragility of Disraeli’s leadership of the Conservative Party.