Editing Joseph Chamberlain (section)

====1886 election and Unionist government====
Parliament was dissolved, and in the [[1886 United Kingdom general election|July 1886 general election]], the Conservatives and Liberal Unionists, led by Lord Salisbury and [[Lord Hartington]], agreed to an alliance. Chamberlain's position in the alliance was awkward; unlike Hartington, he was intensely mistrusted by and unable to influence the Conservatives, and he was also despised by the Gladstonians. Gladstone himself observed, "There is a difference between Hartington and Chamberlain, that the first behaves like and is a thorough gentleman. Of the other, it is better not to speak."<ref>{{cite book|first=Andrew | last=Jones|author-link = Andrew Jones (historian)|title=The Politics of Reform 1884|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=39o8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA44|year=1972|page=44| publisher=CUP Archive|isbn=9780521083768}}</ref> The general election was dominated by Home Rule, and Chamberlain's campaign was both Radical and intensely patriotic. The Unionist alliance took 393 seats in the House of Commons and a comfortable majority.{{sfn|Marsh|1994|pp=250–54}}

Chamberlain did not enter the [[Second Salisbury ministry|Unionist government]], aware of Conservative hostility and not wishing to alienate his Radical base. The Liberal mainstream cast Chamberlain as a villain, shouting "Judas!" and "Traitor!" as he entered the House of Commons. Unable to associate decisively with either party, Chamberlain sought concerted action with a kindred spirit from the Conservative Party, Chancellor of the Exchequer [[Lord Randolph Churchill]]. In November 1886, Churchill announced his own programme at [[Dartford]], borrowing much from Chamberlain's, including smallholdings for rural labourers and greater local government. The next month, Churchill resigned as Chancellor over military spending; when the Conservative mainstream rallied around Salisbury, Churchill's career was effectively ended, and so too was Chamberlain's hope of creating a powerful cross-party alliance of Radicals. The appointment of George Goschen to succeed Churchill isolated Chamberlain further and symbolised the strong relationship between non-Radical Liberal Unionists and the Conservatives.{{sfn|Marsh|1994|pp=255–80}}

In January 1887, Chamberlain, Trevelyan, Harcourt, [[John Morley]] and [[Lord Herschell]] participated in a series of Round Table Conferences to resolve the Liberal Party's Irish policy. Chamberlain hoped an accord would enable him to claim the Liberal leadership and influence over the Conservatives. Although a preliminary agreement was made concerning land purchase, Gladstone was unwilling to compromise further, and negotiations ended by March. In August 1887, Lord Salisbury invited Chamberlain to lead the British delegation to resolve a fisheries dispute between the United States and [[Newfoundland Colony|Newfoundland]]. The visit to the United States renewed his enthusiasm for politics and enhanced his standing with respect to Gladstone.{{sfn|Marsh|1994|pp=289–311}}

Upon his return to Britain, Chamberlain and Radicalism experienced new political success. He extracted his supporters from the Liberal Party and created the Liberal Unionist Association in 1888, associated with his National Radical Union. The Salisbury ministry implemented a number of Radical reforms as well. Between 1888 and 1889, democratic [[County council]]s were established. By 1891, measures for the provision of smallholdings had been made, and the free, compulsory education was extended to the entire country. Chamberlain wrote, "I have in the last five years seen more progress made with the practical application of my political programme than in all my previous life. I owe this result entirely to my former opponents, and all the opposition has come from my former friends."<ref>{{cite book|author=Jules Philip Gehrke|title=Municipal Anti-socialism and the Growth of the Anti-socialist Critique in Britain, 1873–1914|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=03GL7IX0DVUC&pg=PA65|year=2006|page=65|isbn=9780542793653}}</ref>