Anti-Corn Law League

Question 1

Describe the Corn Laws

Answer 1

• 1815
• tariffs (import taxes) placed on imported corn
• designed to keep out cheaper foreign corn and keep prices farmers received for their corn high

Question 2

Describe the initial attempts to remove the Corn Laws

Answer 2

• 1815- sections of society tried
• 1828- sliding scale- level of duty on imported corn fell the more expensive it was
• price was still artificially high

Question 3

Describe the effect of the Corn Laws

Answer 3

• benefitted landowners and farmers, detrimental to workers and factory owners
• power in parliament lay with landowners, not workers

Question 4

Describe the complaints of the factory owners

Answer 4

• Most workers spent most of their wages on bread
• The Corn Laws kept the price of bread higher than it needed to be
• The factory owners had to pay higher wages
• Cost was increased
• Goods were too expensive to sell overseas
• Unemployment and fewer jobs
• Other countries sold less corn to Britain, so had less money to buy manufactured British goods

Question 5

Describe the support for the Corn Laws

Answer 5

• Anglican Church supported landowners
• Landowners fought in personal mind
• Chartists supported

• Dissenters supported repeal

Question 6

Describe the argument of Landowners

Answer 6

• factory owners didn’t want tariffs so they could lower their wages
• this would make them a profit

Question 7

Describe the Anti-Corn Law League in Parliament

Answer 7

• 1837-1845 - annual parliaments
• Whig Party did not repeal
• 1846- Robert Peel brought about repeal in response to Irish potato famine
• split the Tory parties, ended Peel’s career
• victory for free trade over protectionism- majority believed in the benefits of free trade over import and export tax

Question 8

Describe how the harvests affected the Anti-Corn Law League

Answer 8

• 1844- good harvest- prices dropped- weakened support

* 1845- bad harvest- increased support

Question 9

Describe the short term consequences of the Anti-Corn Law League

Answer 9

• Britain was the world’s leading industrial power

Question 10

Describe the first Anti-Corn Law Association

Answer 10

• set up in 1833

Question 11

Describe the initial parliamentary action of the first Anti-Corn Law Association

Answer 11

• March 1838- motion to repeal introduced by radical MP Charles Villiers- easily defeated
• 1839- 195 votes in favour

Question 12

Describe the formation of the Anti-Corn Law League

Answer 12

• failure in parliament caused groups to form in Manchester, Leeds, Huddersfield, Carlisle and Leicester (all new industrial towns)
• out of these grew the Anti-Corn Law League

Question 13

Describe the advantages of the Anti-Corn Law League

Answer 13

• one-issue group
• solid backing from manufacturers prepared to fund its activities
• aims coincided with those in new urban middle classes who could influence the Whigs
• huge numbers of skilled workers

Question 14

Describe the persuasive techniques of the Anti-Corn Law League

Answer 14

• petitions
• adverts and reports in newspapers
• huge meetings (5,000 people) with speakers such as John Bright
• memorabilia (milk jug, cups and plates were fashionable)
• used elections and by-elections to focus on one issue
• encouraged followers to buy property to allow them to vote as 40 shilling freeholders

Question 15

Describe the Anti-Corn Law League winning seats in Parliament

Answer 15

• 1841- Walsall by-election- safe Tory seat was targeted and only retained by 27 votes
• also won seats in Walsall, Manchester and Stockport
• October 1845- South Lancashire by-election- Tory majority of 600 turned into League majority of 3,000