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The influence Victoria had on Britain is surely not quite easily to see, for she was not the sovereign leader of state that other kings or queens had been before on the one hand because she did not have the rights other monarchs had had before, on the other probably her character was not that of a charismatic opportunist.
When she became queen in 1837 the rights of the monarch had been cut through an act in 1832 that broadened the class of people (men) that were entitled to elect for parliament. The two parties of the parliament, Torries (conservative) and Whigs (more liberal), were not that glad with the reforms at all, but because of new thoughts like the utilitarian view of state and the huge problems in social affairs that had been caused by the industrial revolution, changes were more than necessary. The hegemony that had been the aristocracy´s, slowly moved into the hands of the people. In 1837 even more rights were to be foreseen for the parliament when a militant movement fought for the general right to elect and for regular payment for the members of parliament. Besides these efforts, the Prime Minister already had much more \"power\" than the monarch. Although a certain influence of the monarch always was markable.
Concerning foreign policy Britain was proud of it´s \"Pax Britannia\" also known as policy of \"Splendid Isolation\". That means Britain tried to stay out of conflicts as far as possible.
This was the way the Queen wanted to go on forth and this also was the opinion of parliament. The only case in which Britain did intervene while Victoria was Queen, was the Cremican War (´53-´56) (not counting the several conflicts in the colonies). She herself for instance helped preventing a second Franco-German war in 1875 by talking to the German Emperor .
The other important thing in foreign policy was the mass of colonies Britain had (Ceylon, Singapore, Canada, India, Australia, South Africa). Victoria was not able to decide on problems concerning the colonies because she had not much knowledge about them and not the political possibilities, but she was fond of progress and she agreed with imperialistic ambitions. In 1877 when she became Empress of India she even travelled there. To her people these were great moments: seeing their Queen on a journey to India, even travelling by train. Something which was not common to the monarchs of this time.
The man who was responsible for Victoria´s coronation to Empress of India was Benjamin Disraeli, one of her Whig Prime Ministers (in office ´68; ´74-´80). He was the only primeminister whom she ever trusted wholly. He even was a kind of friend to her; she at least liked the charming way he treated her. Disraeli gave the Queen the feeling of deciding by herself, but was also able to contradict her without being blamed therefore. He also was the men who helped making Victoria a symbol of the British lifestyle, a kind of mother to the British Empire (\"Great White Queen\") by forcing the Queen to do at least what the people required from her (public appearance, statements to the political situation,...).
If you compare Victoria´s behaviour to Disraeli to her behaviour to the following Torry Prime Minister Gladstone, you may see why a huge part of the parliament was not glad with it´s Queen. She did not trust his policy, as she mentioned in her journal, and called him a \"dreadful old man\". He was not of Diraeli´s type and not willing to flatter the Queen. Victoria made him feel how she disgusted him and even said openly that she would not like to open Parliament with him as Prime Minister. But at least since ´67 when the Second Reform Act had been verified, there was no more possibility for her to stop this process and she had to cope with him (which she refused as far as possible, of course).
The examples of Disraeli and Gladstone may show how far her political decisions were influenced by her personal feelings and wishes. Some things were simply not agreeable to her and then she tried to fulfill. Perhaps exactly that is one reason why she was so popular to her people, that she was never afraid to speak out her opinion.
Concerning home affairs, when he lived, Albert was mostly responsible. He took care of the appropriate presentation of the technical inventions to the European neighbours (Great Exhibition) and initiated the abolition of the last law that hindered an all-embracing free trade (a law that protected the prices of crops within Britain). Free trade was the foundation of Britain´s economy in the Victorian Age and the reason for their fast economic success compared to other countries.
Later the Prime Ministers made most of the home affair policy, Victoria just gave her statements when she did not agree with the propositions of the parliament and even this she mostly did by letters when she was living in seclusion.
The Queen cannot be seen as liberal or conservative. She called herself liberal but since the 70ies she more identified with conservative points of view: She was the first monarch ever travelling by train and therefore was seen as a real open-minded person, but would also not accept the first efforts of women to emancipate and called them \"unnatural\". Also here, she decided in every special case to which direction her sympathies would grow.
The policy of Britain while Victoria reigned the country could have be done by any other person, there was nothing special about it. But the representative status the monarch already had as his domain was executed by Victoria in a quite extraordinary way: She did what on the one hand her moral standards told her, but could often not refuse to follow her feelings on the other.
This behaviour shadows exactly the mental situation of the typical \"Victorian\", as they saw themselves: straight and openminded in thinking, but also able to defend the own opinion.
Besides that it should not be forgotten that because of her published diaries the peole may have felt a certain familiarity to her. They may really have seen her as their grandmother, perhaps not always right in what she says, but someone you can trust.
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