Between the Reform Acts - 1848-67 Flashcards
Explain the factors justifying the absence of demands for reform for almost 20 years after Chartism
* Prosperity - Quality of Life
- High point of Victorian Prosperity - exemplified through the Great Exhibition of 1851, showcasing Briatin’s status & imperial power
- life was comparitively good
Explain the factors justifying the absence of demands for reform for almost 20 years after Chartism
* Prosperity - Economy
- Economic conditions were good - reform demands often associated with hardship & hunger
Explain the factors justifying the absence of demands for reform for almost 20 years after Chartism
* Chartism’s defeat - weaknesses of movement
- radical political action offered mininal prospect of change
- working class movements were too divided on tactics, leaders, & wedded to constitionalism
- whilst the British state had proved itself to be robust
Explain the factors justifying the absence of demands for reform for almost 20 years after Chartism
* Chartism’s defeat - new focus
- elite members of the working class follow the knowledge Chartism model, proving themsleves to be respectable trusted solid citizens
- Chartism directed its focus onto other things
Explain the factors justifying the absence of demands for reform for almost 20 years after Chartism
* Working class initaiative for respectability - change in focus
- working class arguably work on a programme of self-improvement, to show worthiness of suffrage,
- in a movement away from direct participation in the political dramas of the 1850s & 60s
Explain the factors justifying the absence of demands for reform for almost 20 years after Chartism
* Working class initaiative for respectability - initiatives of cooperation
- friendly societies - showing co-operation & provides welfare
- run their own shops - lowers food prices, showing conciousness of fundamental issues
Explain the factors justifying the absence of demands for reform for almost 20 years after Chartism
* Working class initaiative for respectability - initatiatives of responsibility
- saving banks - responsibility & independence
- form respectable trade unions - high costs to join, to preserve the differentials between the skilled & unskilled labour, offering unemployment & sickness benefits
Explain the factors justifying the absence of demands for reform for almost 20 years after Chartism
* assured government - aims
- all govt action performed in the context of Laissez Faire,
- with mere initiatives to ensure adequate QofL
- electoral reform was only ever spoken about out of political opportunism, rather than out of conviction
Explain the factors justifying the absence of demands for reform for almost 20 years after Chartism
* assured government - unity
- Without the elite divided there is no prospect for significant change,
- & the elite arguably show remarkable unity for a long period following Chartsim
Explain the factors justifying the absence of demands for reform for almost 20 years after Chartism
* assured government - dealing with issues
- Parties were chaotic - Tories split & Whigs remain in a coalition
- differences are on religion & personality/ rivalries, who should rule Britain
- Yet they agree more on substansive issues - efficiently mitigate issues - Chartism, Irish Famine
Explain the factors justifying the absence of demands for reform for almost 20 years after Chartism
* Viscount Palmerston - Popular amongst the people
- Personal charm - he cultivated an immage through attending illegal prize fights & had charm for his womanising & affairs
- Foreign policy - his use of Gunboat Diplomacy helped the restoration of patriotism in Britain
Explain the factors justifying the absence of demands for reform for almost 20 years after Chartism
* Viscount Palmerston - Assured his own position & popularity in government
- Gradual reform - further freed up trade, & gave a free breakfast gaining working class support
- Centrist - was a Tory until 1830, then Whig supporting the Reform bill in the 1830s, so acted in seld-interest to remain in power
Explain the factors justifying the absence of demands for reform for almost 20 years after Chartism
* Viscount Palmerston - reform
- clear opponent of electoral reform, meaning whilst he was alive, political reform was widely agreed as impossible
Explain why the death of Palmerston made it likely that reform would return to the agenda
- Britain was in a time of prosperity, with an assure govt, & hence was less scared for reform
- he had dominated politics, so his death catalysed a race to succeed him, with reform being an integral way to achieve this
- removed major obstacle to reform
Who were the key players competing for power following Palmerston’s death
- Lord Derby
- Lord Russell
- William Gladstone
- Benjamin Disraeli
Explain who the key players competing for power following Palmerston’s death
-Lord John Russell
- Started his career with a reform act, so thinks it would be fitting to end on one too
- Palmerstons domination limited his prosperity, so he seeks an achievement to cement his career
Explain who the key players competing for power following Palmerston’s death
- Lord Derby
- had been PM twice as part of a minority government, yet this would never be succesful
- his most significant acheivement, as Tory leader, was keeping them together
- he seeks a corwning achievement
Explain who the key players competing for power following Palmerston’s death
- William Gladstone
- Briatins longest serving Prime Minister - very good public speaker who can rally support from a crowd.
- Impressed by the working classes:
- e.g regarding w-c support for the American Civil War, in which they put morality (slavery is wrong)
- above self-interest (the cotton famine, elading to factories shutting in North England)
Explain who the key players competing for power following Palmerston’s death
* Benjamin Disraeli
- Very ambitious, flamboyant young leader of the HofC
- He will do anything, regardless of having integrity with his principles to be Prime Minister, & reform will be a part of this
Explain the various other factors in the mid 1860s which contributed to pressures for reform
-Population Growth
- 1832-62, the population grew by over 5 million
- This contributed to increased rural-urban migration, yet there had been no further distribution for equitable representation
Explain the various other factors in the mid 1860s which contributed to pressures for reform
-Radical Pressure
- John Bright, former ACLL leader,
moved efforts to pilitcial reform from 1850, & - in 1858-59 embarked on speaking tours with the message:
- simply establish the sort of democracy in the UK that by now existed un the USA, peaceful & very popular
Explain the various other factors in the mid 1860s which contributed to pressures for reform
-The Reform League & the Reform Union
- Start of 1860s: workers associations focused on reforming parliament through legal means to improve living & working standards
- Showing respobsibility & intelligence, they were sympathised iwth in parliament
- New organisatiosn formed: Reform League & Reform Union
Explain the various other factors in the mid 1860s which contributed to pressures for reform
-The American Civil War 1861-65
- Large proportion of Britains population engaged in support
- opportunity to display working class political maturity;
- supporting the north on moral grounds,
- even though their blockade of the South caused the cotton famine of 1861-2 and economic hardship in industrial areas
Explain the various other factors in the mid 1860s which contributed to pressures for reform
-Garibaldi’s visit
- Giuseppe Garibaldi was a nationalist General, who was leading figure in the unification of Italy,
- he was a popular symbol of democratic ideals,
- his visit in 1864, associating himself with the Reform League, provided a further stimulus to the reform movement, energising the population
Explain the various other factors in the mid 1860s which contributed to pressures for reform
-The Conservatives’ Conversion
- John Bright evaluates “if reform is inevitable the Conservatives should jump in and take the credit for it.”
Explain the various other factors in the mid 1860s which contributed to pressures for reform
The Liberals
- Many frustrated by Palmerston’s resistance to change
- & had stagnated on key issues religion, education and Ireland and that they need an impetus for further reforms: perceiving themselves as reformers.
- JS Mill argues enfranchising the working class will increase their responsibility (rather than them proving their worthiness to vote)
- Reform would also strengthen their position in govt
Explain the various other factors in the mid 1860s which contributed to pressures for reform
-The return of social tension
- In 1866 a Reform League demonstration in Hyde park,
- met by police who attempted to refuse them entry, but the numbers of demonstrators was so large that the railings gave way and the crowd streamed in
- The government decided against further reaction, & the event went ahead
- ‘Hyde Park Railings Affair was widely reported, beginning of possible violent protest, stimulated fear of revolution, & gave govt initatives to act
Summarise the obstacles to reform
-popularity
- not enough popular belief surrounding reform pressures (apathy)
Summarise the obstacles to reform
-govt position
- resistance to seemming as if you’re giving into political pressure, succumbing to disorder (e.g Hyde Park)
Summarise the obstacles to reform
-how to implement reform
- questionable if possible to alter reform on property, like 1832 reform act,
- whilst avoiding universal manhood suffrage,
- considering 35 years on of increasing industrial action, population density & property ownership in cities has dramatically increased
Explain why Bagehot thinks both parties might ‘bid for the support of the working man’
-power
- they seek reform as political opportunitism, rather than out of conviction, as they wish to assert dominant control in Parliament
Explain why Bagehot thinks both parties might ‘bid for the support of the working man’
-vote
- majority of voters would be working class:
- not the most capable people
- may not vote in the best interest of the country
