Britain Booklet 3 Flashcards
What is a Rotten Borough?
Ancient constituencies that had become so depopulated that MPs were selected and elected by a very small number of people e.g. Old Sarum had a single landowner
What is a Pocket Borough?
Wealth landowners owned all of the land and buildings which provided the occupiers with the right to vote. These landowners nominated candidates and bribed or pressurized voters into voting for their favored candidate
What is a Scot and Lot Borough?
All men who paid local taxes, such as the poor rate, could vote e.g. Preston, Lancashire
What is a Potwalloper?
Men qualified to vote if they occupied a house which has a fireplace large enough to boil a pot e.g. Taunton, Somerset
What is a corporation Borough?
Only members of the local town council could vote. Over 90% of these had less than 50 voters
What is a Freeman Borough?
All men who had acquired the title of ‘Freeman’ through apprenticeship in a craft guild qualified to vote
What percentage of the population could vote?
5% because the franchise was based on property, as you had to own or rent land worth 40 shillings a year
In 1831, how many men could vote?
400,000 men out of a population of 13.89 million
What were elections like?
2/3 of elections were uncontested, nobody stood against the successful candidate
No secret ballot, so groups of armed thugs could threaten and intimidate voters
Corruption common and voters were openly bribed
How many newspapers were there in London by the 1780s?
London had 13 daily newspapers and 10 tri-weekly newspapers, outside of London there were 50 provincial newspapers
How many boroughs had fewer than how many voters represented by two MPs?
50 boroughs had fewer than 40 voters, each borough had two MPs
How many MPs did Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield have?
None
By 1831, how many MPs did Lancashire have and how big was its population?
14 MPs and a population of 1.3 million
By 1831, how many MPs did Cornwall have and how big was its population?
42 MPs and a population of 300,000
What was the London Corresponding Society?
Formed in 1792 by Thomas Hardy
Close to 5000 members by 1792 but it was probably closer to 1000
Cost a penny a week to join
When and how many people attended the Copenhagen Fields demonstration?
October 1795, and over 100,000 attended the demonstration
What was the Sheffield Society for Constitutional Information?
Formed in 1791
In May 1792, it managed to raise almost 10,000 signatures on a national petition calling for male suffrage
What was Thomas Paines: The Rights of Man?
A book, rejecting the idea that societies develop organically from their past and stated that each age has the right to establish a new political system
By 1793, 200,000 copies had been sold
Thomas Paine was charged with treason in 1792 and fled to France
What did William Pitt do after the French Revolution?
Crush radical movements
How much did the population increase by in 1801, 1811 and 1821?
1801 - 10.5 million
1811 - 12 million
1821 - 14.1 million
By 1821, what % of Britons were under 15 and concentrated in industrial towns?
48%
How much did poor relief increase by from 1775 to 1817?
1775 - £2 million
1817 - £8 million
Who was Henry Hunt?
A wealthy landowner who was fed up with the corrupt political system
Organised mass meetings designed to provoke a violent response from the authorities
Organized the Peterloo riots which turned into the Peterloo massacre
What were Hampden Clubs and Union Societies?
First setup by Major John Cartwright in 1812
Aimed to educate workers and campaign peacefully for universal suffrage through mass petitions
In 1813, Cartwright toured 900 miles in 29 days visiting 34 towns, gaining 130,000 signatures in 430 petitions
By 1824, how many Hampden Clubs and Union Societies were there?
150
What did Napoleon do from 1806?
Blockaded British ports
How much did National debt increase by in 1815?
£238 million to £902 million
How many soldiers came home after the Napoleonic wars and why was this an issue?
400,000 Soldiers and there wasn’t enough jobs for them all
How many iron workers lost their jobs in Shropshire from 1815-1819?
7000
By how much did money from indirect taxes increase by?
£16-17 million in the 1790s
£50-£60 million after 1816
What were the corn laws of 1815?
The corn laws prohibited the importing of foreign corn until the price reached 10 shillings a bushel. This kept profits up for the landowners but made bread expensive for workers.
What was the Habeas Corpus?
The Habeas Corpus guaranteed a trial within a stated period, this was suspended meaning political prisoners could be held indefinitely
Which ‘Two Acts’ were passed in December 1795?
The Treasonable and Seditious Meetings Practices Act - Broadened the law of treason
Seditious Meetings Act - Banned meetings of over 50 people whose object was to discuss reform or petition parliament
Which law was passed in 1799 and 1800?
Both Combination Acts, banning the development of trade unions
What were the Six Acts?
- Seditious Meetings Prevention Act - Imposed restrictions on public meetings
- Seizure Of Arms Act - Gave powers to search for and seize arms
- Blasphemous and Seditious Libels Act - Allowed searches for and seizing of blasphemous and seditious publications
- Training Prevention Act - Banned paramilitary training
- Newspaper and Stamp Duties Act - Introduced a 4d duty on newspapers to make them more expensive
- The Misdemeanors Act - Speeds up procedures for bringing treason cases to trial
What were the Spa Fields Riots?
From 1816 mass meetings became increasingly popular to attempt to petition to the king or parliament
The first of three meetings saw 20,000 people attend and was mostly peaceful
At the second meeting a crowd of about 200 (of 2000) marched to the tower of London and looted a gunshop along the way
In 1817, a crowd attacked the Prince Regent’s coach
What was the Cato Street Conspiracy?
In February 1820, a group led by Arthur Thistlewood planned to assassinate Lord Liverpool
The aim was to trigger uprisings across the country
A government spy, George Edwards knew of the plan from the outset, and Thistlewood and his conspirators were executed, 5 others were transported
What was the March of the Blanketeers?
In March 1817, William Benbow, a weaver from Lancashire planned a hunger march from St Peter’s fields in Manchester to London to present a petition
4500 Blanketeers gathered to set out on March 10th, but local magistrates dispersed them
300 Blanketeers set out and reached Stockport before being stopped by local yeomanry
One Blanketeer was shot dead and several wounded
What was the First Pentrich Rebellion?
In 1817, a small group of radicals in the Northern textile district made plans for a series of simultaneous uprisings
Their aim was to gain control of the North and then march on to London
In the end, two minor uprisings took place, one near Huddersfield in June 1817 involving over 200 men which was stopped by a small detachment of troops
What was the Second Pentrich Rebellion?
The Second Pentrich Rebellion in Derbyshire where Jeremiah Brandreth led 200 stocking makers, iron workers and quarrymen to seize Nottingham Castle
Before reaching Nottingham, most of the group had disappeared, the leaders were captured and three were executed with 30 being transported
What was the Peterloo Massacre?
In January 1819, Henry Hunt spoke to a crowd at St. Peter’s Field, with an aggressive tone encouraging people to draw up a ‘Remonstrance’ to the Prince Regent and demand universal suffrage
In August 1819, 60,000 people gathered to listen to Henry Hunt again but the magistrates sent yeomanry to arrest them
The yeomanry were swamped by the crowds and the 15th hussars were sent in to to rescue them, promptly charging in and killing 11 people and wounding between 400-600
Between 1821-29, by how much did Britain’s GNP and manufacturing increase by?
GNP: 16.8%
Manufacturing: 25%
What were the Swing Riots?
A series of agricultural disturbances which broke out in Kent in 1830 and spread across rural areas in the South and East of England
Swing Riots spread to 20 counties and mostly involved machine breaking, arson and assault on landlords, demands for higher wages and strikes
Between February and March 1830, 200 petitions were sent to Parliament demanding tax reductions in rural areas
This concerned the government because the South had never been associated with radical activity unlike the north
When was the BPU set up, and who by?
Birmingham Political Union:
1830, by Thomas Attwood
How many people did the BPU normally attract and how many during the ‘Days of May’?
100,000 during regular rallies
200,000 during the Days of May
What are some more examples of Outbreaks of violence between 1821-29?
1821: 3000 Ironworkers and coal miners refused to disperse when the riot act was read to them and fought the yeomanry, 2 miners were killed and several yeomanry injured
1822: A worsted power loom was destroyed in Shipley
1825-25: A depression in the cotton trade led to mass unemployment in the North-West. 20 mills were attacked and 1000 looms smashed, seven machine-breakers were killed at Chadderton.
1829: Several weavers were shot by soldiers who were guarding 16 men placed in a lock up following the destruction of factory machinery. Four weaving shops in Manchester were attacked and over 150 looms smashed
What happened after the 1824 repealing of the Combination Acts?
Trade union activity increased
Who made up the majority of the new middle class?
Owners of factories; self made men with commercial drive and a desire to reform the political situation to include them
When did Lord Liverpool resign?
In 1827, after 15 years of stable government
Who became Prime Minister in 1828 and what did he do?
The Duke of Wellington, split the party into opposing factions
What did the Duke of Wellington support in 1829?
The Catholic Emancipation Act, he did this due to fears of a civil war breaking out in Ireland
How did the death of George IV help the Whig party?
Previously the Whigs had been opposed by George III and George IV when they tried to introduce the reform bills in 1792, 1793 and 1797
The new king, William IV, supported the Whigs and invited Earl Grey to form a new government in 1830
What was the collapse of the Tory Party?
In June 1830, following the death of George IV, there was a general election. The results were inconclusive and Wellington lost his majority.
In November 1830, Lord Grey (Whig Leader) announced he would introduce moderate reform and managed to win the support of the Tort Canningite faction and the Tory Ultras
As a result of this, William IV invited Earl Grey to form a new government
What was the first reform bill of 1831?
Introduced by Lord John Russell and aimed to redistribute 100 rotten boroughs to the Industrial North and midlands
There was to be a £10 property qualification for voting rights
After lengthy debate, it passed to its second reading by 302 votes to 301 votes
What was the second reform bill, July 1831?
Due to the new election in April 1831, Grey had a majority of 130 and introduced the second reform bill
It passed through the commons by 136 votes
It was rejected in the house of Lords by 41 votes, this triggered a wave of rioting all around the country
What was the third reform bill, December 1831?
This bill also passed through the house of commons by a majority of 162
9 Lords prevented the bill passing through the house of Lords
Earl Grey asked William IV to create 50 Whig peers in the Lords
William IV refused and Earl Grey resigned, this triggered the Days of May
Grey eventually returned as Prime Minister and William IV agreed to create new peers
This wasn’t necessary though as the Days of May scared the Lords and in June 1832, the reform act became law
What were the Days of May?
Public outcries and anti-Tory petitions signed
Meetings held between leaders of political unions to discuss co-ordinated protests
Demonstrations were organised (200,000 by the BPU)
Protest marches organised in the north and the midlands
What was the impact of the Great Reform Act 1832?
56 Boroughs disenfranchised with a further 30 losing one of their MPs
42 new boroughs were created and 62 seats were given to English counties
Wales received 5 new seats, Scotland had 8 and Ireland had 5
In the counties the vote was given to adult males who owned land worth £10 a year or rented land worth £50 a year
Voters had to be registered and polling was limited to 2 days
What was the change of the Great Reform Act 1832?
The size of the electorate rose from 366,000 to 650,000 (18% of the male population)
Increased involvement in politics by the middle class
Increased numbers of voters led to the development of permanent party organisations who helped registers voters
Significant increase in the number of contested seats, 30% before 1832 to 50% after
What were the continuing problems after the Great Reform Act 1832?
Overall control of the political system was still in the hands of the elites
It was too expensive to stand as an MP, you needed an income of £600
The south was over-represented compared to the North and the Midlands, in Leeds only 5000 qualified for the vote from a population of 125,000 due to the £10 rule
What demands were on the people’s charter?
Universal suffrage for all men over 21
A secret ballot to protect voters and reduce landlord’s influence
Abolition of property qualification for MPs to enable anyone to stand
Payments for MPs to enable men to give up jobs and focus on helping constituents
Constituencies of equal size to deal with under-representation not dealt with in 1832
What were the main causes of Chartism?
The 1832 reform act failed to help workers, 1833 factory act didn’t provide the 10 hour working day many wanted and the 1834 poor law amendment act punished the poor by placing them in workhouses
There were worsening economic conditions from 1837, 400,000 unemployed handloom weavers by the 1840s, many of whom join the Chartist movements
What were the Tolpuddle Martyrs?
The tolpuddle martyrs were six leaders of the friendly society of agricultural labourers who were sentenced to 7 years deportation to Australia
This triggered a wave of protests in April 1834, 30,000 radicals marched through London to protest at the sentences
In Oldham, union leaders were arrested, mills were attacked and in 1837, the leaders of the Glasgow Spinners’ strike were also transported
How many signatures the all the Chartist petitions get?
1st petition 1839: 1.2 million signatures
2nd petition 1842: 3.3 million signatures
3rd petition 1848: 5.7 million signatures (it was discovered that only 2 million were real)
What was the Newport Rising, 1839?
November 3rd-4th 1839, thousands of armed ironworkers and miners marched into Newport to the Westgate Hotel where it was believed Chartist prisoners were being held
Soldiers defending the hotel read the riot act, and then opened fire killing 20 chartists and wounding 50
What were The Plug Riots, 1842?
Following the rejection of the second petition, 500,000 workers went on strike across Staffordshire, Lancashire, Cheshire and Yorkshire and enforced the strike by removing plugs from factory boilers, rendering them useless
By September 1842, 15 English and Welsh counties, in addition to eight Scottish counties were affected
What was the National Charter Association (NCA)?
Following the failure of the first petition, the remaining chartists believed a permanent, central organisation, financed by subscription would encourage more working class to join
The NCA was formed in Manchester in July 1840 and became the backbone of the movement for the next 12 years
By April 1842, there were 401 branches and 50,000 members, by the end of 1842 there was 70,000 members
How did the legacy of the 1832 reform act cause the 1867 reform act?
The whigs made no attempt to deny that the £10 limit on the 1832 reform act was designed to exclude the lower classes from the vote
Aristocracy and landowning classes continued to have a strong and influential role in affairs
Chartist movement was born from the aftermath of the great reform act, despite its failure it kept alive radical ideas about reform
How did the death of Lord Palmerstone cause the 1867 reform act?
In 1859, the liberals had returned to power under Lord Palmerstone and he ignored calls for reform as he focused on foreign policy
In 1865, he won another election and then died to replaced by Earl Russell who was determined to bring about parliamentary change
William Gladstone in 1864, announced that members of the working class who had proven them self should be able to vote
The combination of Russell and Gladstone pushed the issue to the forefront of politics once again
How did the failure of the first Liberal Bill cause the 1867 reform act?
In March 1866, Gladstone introduced a reform bill but it wasn’t as radical as many hoped
The qualification for borough franchise was reduced to £7 a year which was expected to benefit 200,000 skilled workers
The £50 a year rental qualification was to be reduced to £14 to bring in a further 170,000 voters
In the end, the bill was defeated due to MPs concern of uneducated voters, so the government resigned
How did the role of pressure groups cause the 1867 reform act?
National Reform Union - Sought to extend the franchise to include all male rate payers, equal distribution of seats and a secret ballot
Reform League - Wanted universal manhood suffrage and a secret ballot
Demonstrations - Assertive but respectable means of getting heard
How did the role of Disraeli cause the 1867 reform act?
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 wanted to be the party to introduce moderate reform
The bill was to extend the vote to people who had traditionally voted liberal, in hope they would support the conservatives as a result of the bill
Following numerous drafts from February 1867 to August 1867, the bill was eventually passed with a larger franchise than Disraeli had introduced at the beginning
How did the 1867 reform act change the distribution of seats?
45 seats taken from boroughs with fewer than 10,000 people; 7 were completely disenfranchised
25 of these seats went to the counties; 20 went to new boroughs; 6 existing boroughs gained an extra seat and one seat was reserved for the university of London
How did the 1867 reform act extend the franchise?
In the boroughs all male householders provided they had lived there for at least a year and lodgers who occupied property worth at least £10 for at least one year could vote
In the counties, in addition to the existing franchise, all owners or leaseholders of land worth £5 a year could vote
Almost 1 million new voters were added to the franchise, virtually doubling what it was before in Britain
From 1830-66, how many cabinet MPs were middle class?
14
Which Tory MP pushed through the 1867 Reform Act?
Disraeli
