1: The unreformed parliament and its critics (1785-1820) Flashcards
industrialisation
created the middle class, who were educated and powerful (and therefore had a political appetite)
which act formed the basis of much government criticsm
Corn Laws - showed the inefficiency of the system
what did the corn laws do
prohibited the import of foreign corn
until the price of domestic corn reached 10 shillings a bushel
what were the corn laws designed to do
protect domestic markets
after the security of wartime contracts had gone and the 400,000 returning soldiers had started to drive wages down
the corn laws prioritised who?
the interests of the landowners
why didn’t the MC like the corn laws
forced up bread prices - which meant that MC employers had to raise wages to retain a healthy workforce
patronage
aristocratic favouritism
bred inefficiency in the political system
meant that the MC were not properly represented
unrepresentative distribution of seats
failed to reflect the huge migration to the cities
particularly failed to represent MC interests
Edmund Burke
wrote “Reflections on the Revolution in France” in 1790
condemned political change
Thomas Paine
“The Rights of Man” 1792
in response to Burke, saying that the current system was unequal
in one year, it had sold more than 200,000 copies
sympathy for the french republic
pre-1793, people sympathised with the republic.
this was replaced by patriotism when war started which reinforced the status quo.
what did war with the french also bring
more rigorous government control, such as the 1795 Treason Act, which punished seditious libel with the death penalty
Peterloo massacre overview - the meeting itself
august 1819
St Peter’s Fields in Manchester
60,000 people attended to hear Henry Hunt’s speech
peterloo massacre - army
using yeomanry, the crowds were forcibly dispersed by a sabre charge
400 wounded and 18 dead
peterloo massacre - impact and government action
passed 6 Acts in december 1819
(no meetings of more than 50 people, banned seditious libel with death, speedy trials, higher stamp duty on political pamphlets etc.)
after war with the french ended..
demands reemerged with the failed harvests (1816/7) and the 400,000 soldiers returning
3 uprisings after war with france in the 1810s
1816 islington riots
1817 blanketeers
1819 peterloo
britain’s constitution
not codified - allowed for a flexible approach to government but also corruption
to sit in the house of commons, you must..
own property worth at least £300 a year, unless you had the backing of a peer who would fund you (patronage)
how many MPs were funded by benefactors in the Lords
by 1801, half of Britain’s MPs owed their positions to Lords benefactors
in counties, MPs were voted for by..
any man who owned property worth 40 shillings a year
problem with the counties
sent 2 MPs regardless of size
bedfordshire = 2000 people
yorkshire = 20,000
3 types of boroughs
scot and lot - anyone who paid poor rates could vote
potwalloper - anyone who had a hearth big enough to boil a pot on could vote
corporation - only members of the town council could vote
elections before reform - secret ballot
didn’t have a secret ballot
landowners could pressure their tenants to vote one way or another
pocket boroughs
small borough which could be easily manipulated/controlled by the prominent landowner’s bribery
only ___% of the population could vote
11%
and parliament was controlled by wealthy landowners anyway
rotten boroughs
small towns which used to be prominent in the middle ages but have since declined BUT still sent 2 MPs.
dunwich - sea swallowed up this old thriving port
old sarum - only had 14 resident voters. still sent 2 MPs
