7. Reforms Of 19th Century And Peterloo Flashcards
How many people were there in 1901 than 1801?
1801 - 16.3 million
1901 - 41.6 million
How did Britain change after 1851?
More people lived in town or cities than in the countryside More people worked in industry than framing Industry and trade became a quicker way to riches than owning land and industrialists emerged as a new class of people with leading roles in society
How did communication improve?
The ‘Penny Post’ allowed letters to be sent throughout the country
The telegraph enabled simple messages to be sent over large distances very quickly
Expanding railway network enable people to travel quickly and cheaply
Newspapers were delivered around country overnight
Daily papers like daily mail became decoupled and become very popular
What reforms were passed as a result of government action?
In 1848, first Public Health Act was passed to improve conditions in towns and cities
In 1870, Board Schools were set up with the help of the government funding to educate children up to age of eleven
In 1880, education was made compulsory
What were elections like in the early 1800s?
Very few people could vote and there was no secret ballot as voting took place in open-air hustings where you declared your allegiance
Elections had to be held at least every seven years
Each country and each borough had two MPs.
However, boundaries had not been changed for hundreds of years
Many new towns and cities had no MPs and many seats had become ‘Rotten boroughs’ (few/any people lived and seats were openly bought or sold)
Many MPs were elected unopposed. Corruption and bribery were common
It was expensive to be an MP and lords with big estates might have ten or more MPs in their power (radicals wanted to change all this)
What did the conservatives want to do?
Wanted to keep things how they were - conserve them
They argued that the constitution as it existed was wise and there was no-need for reform and that making changes would be dangerous
What did the radicals want to do?
In 1776, Major John Cartwright published a pamphlet arguing in favour of electoral reform and votes for all men
He toured the country with radical reform
In 1809, Francis Burdett introduced a Reform Bill into parliament
It demanded equal electoral districts, annual parliaments and the right of every taxpayer to vote
However, it was defeated in a debate by 79 votes to 15
What did radical William Cobbett do?
He used his weekly paper, The Political Register, to promote reform
Hampden clubs, named after Sir John Hampden, were set up throughout the country to promote reform
This was a period of intense popular political agitation, with several riots taking place
Those opposing the government were portrayed as revolutionaries, out to destroy everything Birtish
What happened at Peterloo?
On 16th August 1819, thousands of men, women and children met in St Peters field in Manchester.
They came to listen to Henry Hunt talk about reform with everyone wearing their best clothes
They carried banners demanding reform, universal suffrage and equal voting districts
How did the Manchester magistrates react to this?
They panicked and thought it was a riot so they sent in the militia to disperse the crowd.
They rode on horseback straight through the crowd, using their weapons to push people aside.
The group resisted the soldiers by linking arms and protecting Henry Hunt
At least 11 people died and over 400 were injured. A young baby was killed as he was knocked out of his mother’s arms and trampled to death by horses
Leaders of the protest were arrested and charged with treason
What happened after Peterloo occurred?
The government then passed the Six Acts which restricted public meetings to less than 50 people and further limited what journalists could write
Just 4 years after the Battle of Waterloo, events at St Peters field became known as the ‘Peterloo massacre’
It was clear the government were not prepared to listen to demands on reform and highlighted the division between the government and the people themselves
What was the overall effect of the reforms?
Protests inc. Peterloo frightened rulers who didn’t want ordinary people to vote
The Great Reform Act increased the electorate from 435,000 to 642,000
Large cities and towns were given more MPs
Chartists failed to get the vote extended to all men
Reforms acts 1867 and 1884 extended the vote to most men
Many reforms were passed e.g. abolition of slave trade and corn laws
