1867 act continued

Question 1

How did the death if Lord Palmerstone cause the 1867 reform act?

Answer 1

In 1859, the Liberals had been returned to power under the leadership  of Lord Palmerstone. He had ignored calls for reform as he had focused on foreign policy.
In 1865, Lord Palmerstone won another election and then died, to be replaced by Earl Russell, who was determined to bring about parliamentary change.
Gladstone announced in 1864 that members of the working class who had proven themselves (i.e. paid taxes and rents) should be able to vote.
The combination of Russell and Gladstone pushed the issue of reform to the forefront of politics once again.

Question 2

How did the failure of the first Liberal bill cause the 1867 reform act?

Answer 2

In March 1866, Gladstone introduced a reform bill but it was not as radical as many had hoped.
The qualification for borough franchise was reduced to £7 a year which was expected to benefit 200,000 skilled workers. In the counties the current £50 a year rental qualification was to be reduced to £14 to bring in a further 170,000 voters, most of whom were expected to vote Liberal.
The bill split the Liberal party and Robert Lowe led a group of Liberals (the Adullamites) against the proposal, succeeding in bringing down his own government. He said the new electorate wouldn’t understand politics and their votes would corrupt parliament.
Many MPs were concerned about the growth in uneducated voters and their susceptibility to radical ideas and trade union influence.
In the end, the bill was defeated and the government resigned.

Question 3

How did the Hyde park riots, 1866, cause the 1867 reform act?

Answer 3

Following the failure of the First Liberal Bill, the Reform League held a meeting in Hyde Park on 23rd July 1866 to discuss future action in the campaign for reform.
The meeting was declared illegal by the Conservative home secretary, Spencer Walpole, and Hyde Park was cordoned off by police and the entrance gates chained shut.
A large crowd assembled in spite of this and clashed with police. The crowd entered the park by swinging on the railings until they collapsed.
An estimated 200,000 people invaded the park resulting in the police calling for military support.
One of the Reform League’s leaders, John Bedford Leno, led the meeting in Hyde Park and announced another rally in Trafalgar Square for the following evening.
Both of these meetings ended peacefully and made the Reform League’s leaders household names and led to a rapid increase in their support

Question 4

How did Disraeli cause the 1867 reform act?

Answer 4

The Conservatives formed a minority government under the Earl of Derby in 1866 with Disraeli as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leader of the Commons.
Disraeli sensed there was a mood for change and hoped to take political advantage of the situation by being the party to introduce moderate reform (and therefore gain support from those who would be given the vote).
The bill was to extend the vote to people who had traditionally voted liberal (urban voters), but Disraeli believed they would support the Conservatives as a result of the bill.
Three members of the cabinet resigned (Cranbourne, Peel and Carnarvon) in protest against Disraeli’s bill which they saw as far too radical.
Following numerous drafts of the bill from February 1867 to August 1867, the bill was eventually passed with a larger franchise than Disraeli had introduced at the beginning.