Lord Palmerston's Liberal Internationalist Policies

Henry John Temple, third Viscount Palmerston was guided in his conduct of foreign policy by his belief in free trade, his determination to keep the balance of power in Europe, and his dislike of autocratic governments. Lord Palmerston became one of the politicians most known for his liberal internationalism, sometimes called liberal interventionism. His determination to see his principles turned into action often led him to some severe policies, and consequently he was seen as caustic by his rivals, earning him the nickname ‘Lord Pumice Stone’.1 His resolve to support British supremacy in all foreign matters is exemplified through his early use of gunboat diplomacy. This is also seen through his multiple attempts to maintain the balance of power across Europe because by doing so Britain could be the deciding factor, the linchpin of any decision. Although he started off as a tory, Palmerston eventually became a liberal and strove to see their goals propagated abroad during his tenure both as foreign secretary and prime minister. Through all this Palmerston’s policies often faced the serious dilemma of an inherent contradiction. Although he could sometimes reconcile his desire for British supremacy with his desire for the promulgation of liberal ideology, he often wound up supporting one to the detriment of the other. Because of the tension between objectives, Palmerston’s policy can sometimes be seen as schizophrenic.
Palmerston, like the rest of the liberal party, supported the concept of laissez-fair economics, exemplified through his support and push for free trade. This is especially exemplified in Palmerston’s foreign policy in China. The Chinese restriction on foreign imports was an affront to Palmerston’s sensibilities. ...

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...tially the son of King Louis-Phillipe was chosen to become the king of the new Belgian state, but Palmerston believed this would tie the new country to closely to France to which it already had cultural ties to because of it’s shared language. As an adept of the political game Palmerston was able to arrange for Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg to be king instead. Leopold was an uncle of Queen Victoria and so had a strong tie to British interests. However, Leopold’s ascension to the throne was also supported by the French because of his close ties through his wife, Princess Louise of Orléans who was the daughter of King Louis-Phillipe. By arranging for Leopold to be crowned the first King of the Belgians, Palmerston was able to accomplish both his aim of protecting British interests on the continent, and support the Belgians against the despotic reign of King William I.