Cecil Rhodes:The Industrialist turned British Prime Minister.

Cecil Rhodes became Prime Minister of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 1872 as a
Conservative. Born on July 5th, 1853 in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England. Having graduated from Oriel College, Oxford with first degree honors, Cecil Rhodes started De Beers Group of Companies and would go on to become on of the wealthiest men in America, with the company being headquartered in London. De Beers would mine diamonds and other minerals in India, Australia, South Africa, Belgium, Canada, Botswana, Russian Empire, Congo, Angola, and other countries sell them to British companies. Cecil Rhodes married Alice Charlotte von Rothschild, a French socialite. They had 4 sons, Lionel, Harold, Winston, and Robert. Lionel Cecil Rhodes would go on to run the company after his father's death. Cecil Rhodes was running for Prime Minister and won, he also served another term. After serving his two full terms, Rhodes retired to Dalham Hall, his estate and died on March 17th, 1920.
 
Whilst its an interesting concept, I think your dates are a bit out there. You have Rhodes becoming Prime Minister at the age of 19 - making him young than any Prime Minister ever. This would be only two years after Rhodes was sent to South Africa as a sickly teen to improve his health and, given the age restrictions on becoming an MP, would mean he had been in Parliament for, at the very most, about a year. No time to build up the experience, power base, or connections needed to assume the Premiership.

It also ignores the context - what has happened to Disraeli, who at this time has a solid grasp on the Conservative Party apparatus? What is your POD which has waved away the Liberal majority that existed until 1874 OTL? Where has the resurgent Liberal Party that won so convincingly in 1880 gone? How is Rhodes able to build up such a powerful international business empire whilst also running the country?
 

Thomas1195

Banned
Agree, up to Home Rule, especially between 1878 and 1885, the Liberals were on track to weed out the Tories. This scenario could have happened without Home Rule. Actually, Home Rule was the event that weakened the Liberals and saved the Tories from their decline.
 
Whilst its an interesting concept, I think your dates are a bit out there. You have Rhodes becoming Prime Minister at the age of 19 - making him young than any Prime Minister ever. This would be only two years after Rhodes was sent to South Africa as a sickly teen to improve his health and, given the age restrictions on becoming an MP, would mean he had been in Parliament for, at the very most, about a year. No time to build up the experience, power base, or connections needed to assume the Premiership.

It also ignores the context - what has happened to Disraeli, who at this time has a solid grasp on the Conservative Party apparatus? What is your POD which has waved away the Liberal majority that existed until 1874 OTL? Where has the resurgent Liberal Party that won so convincingly in 1880 gone? How is Rhodes able to build up such a powerful international business empire whilst also running the country?
it depends
 
I find this an extremely interesting POD. That said, I really don't like C.J. Rhodes, so he won't be getting my vote to become PM, although it certainly would shake British politics up.

Also, wasn't there a rumor of his homosexuality? Or is that just where I'm from that they accuse him of that?
 
I remember reading a whiles back that Rhodes intervened regularly in UK politics financially as well as in the normal fashion. So Parnell for example apparently received a lot of money from him
 
Cecil Rhodes became Prime Minister of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 1872 as a
Conservative. Born on July 5th, 1853 in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England. Having graduated from Oriel College, Oxford with first degree honors, Cecil Rhodes started De Beers Group of Companies and would go on to become on of the wealthiest men in America, with the company being headquartered in London. De Beers would mine diamonds and other minerals in India, Australia, South Africa, Belgium, Canada, Botswana, Russian Empire, Congo, Angola, and other countries sell them to British companies. Cecil Rhodes married Alice Charlotte von Rothschild, a French socialite. They had 4 sons, Lionel, Harold, Winston, and Robert. Lionel Cecil Rhodes would go on to run the company after his father's death. Cecil Rhodes was running for Prime Minister and won, he also served another term. After serving his two full terms, Rhodes retired to Dalham Hall, his estate and died on March 17th, 1920.

Two vital problems. Rhodes was not going to become a PM at 19. Heck, I don't think Rhodes even had the right to vote at 19 in UK. Secondly, Rhodes was more likely to be a Liberal PM than a Tory PM. But then he aligned with the Conservative Afrkaner Bond in South Africa, so a Tory Rhodes is possible, I guess. if he hadn't been caught up in the Jameson Raid mess & had lived a bit longer, who knows? He may have become a PM of UK. Thought a Rhodes PM-ship in 1914 may have ... interesting implications for WW1. He would probably ask Little Albert what to do about it .......
 
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