BRITAIN Breadth 1- RPAs Flashcards
When was a motion passed by the House of Commons criticising the power of the Crown?
1780
When did the war of American Independence end?
1783
Why did the demand for parliamentary reform decline in 1783?
Taxes and government expenditure had been cut once the American war had ended
When was the French Revolution?
1789-99
When were the Napoleonic wars?
1793-1815
Why did the calls for parliamentary reform quieten down during the Napoleonic wars?
Government action to stifle demands; patriotic sense of duty to focus on winning the war
After the end of the Napoleonic wars in 1815, which group began to call for reform again?
Working classes; radical campaign for manhood suffrage
Why did many of the middle classes oppose parliamentary reform from 1815-20?
Widespread belief among the middle and upper classes that only those who owned property had the right to vote
From 1815-20, what type of parliamentary reform did the middle classes favour?
Vote being given to the new middle classes; better representation of densely populated industrial areas in north/Midlands
What was the smallest and the largest county population-wise in 1815?
Rutland- 19,000
Lancashire- 1,300,000
What is an example of a large city that had no seats of its own in 1815?
Manchester, with a population of 180,000
What was the representation like in Cornwall in 1815?
21 borough seats despite population of 192,000
Earl Grey
Supporter of moderate parliamentary reform to avoid revolution; spent most of career in opposition; leader of Whigs through years of Tory domination; steered the Reform Bill through Parliament as PM
Why did the demand for reform become quieter in the 1820s?
Economy revived
As a result of the revival of the economy, between when were there no petitions for reform presented to Parliament?
1824-9
Where was known as the notorious rotten boroughs?
Dunwich; Old Sarum
What did Parliament agree to in 1821?
To disenfranchise the corrupt Cornish borough of Grampound and allot its 2 seats to Yorkshire
Which king was majorly opposed to parliamentary reform and the whigs, unlike his successor?
George IV
Why did the political scene change dramatically between 1829-30?
Passing of Catholic Emancipation; accession to the throne of King William IV; emergence of political unions
When was the Act of Catholic Emancipation passed?
1829
What was the Act of Catholic Emancipation?
Act of Parliament allowing Roman Catholics the right to become MPs or hold other public office
Who was the PM and the leader of the Tory party in the House of Commons during the passing of the Act of Catholic Emancipation?
Duke of Wellington; Sir Robert Peel
Why was the Act of Catholic Emancipation passed?
Tory government feared the outbreak of full-scale rebellion in Ireland after a popular campaign
Why did many Tories never forgive the PM/Tory leader for the passing of the Act of Catholic Emancipation?
Saw it as a betrayal of their party, the Church of England and an assault on the British constitution
When did King George IV die?
June 1830
Why did the Tory government in 1830 suffer further losses in the election and fail to gain a majority in Parliament?
Recent poor harvests; rising unemployment; revival of radical demands for reform
When was the second French revolution and what did it involve?
July 1830; led to the downfall of the Bourbon monarchy and the establishment of a new king
When did political unions reappear?
1829-30
Why did political unions reappear?
Deteriorating economic conditions; result of recent general elections; events in France
Birmingham Political Union (BPU)
Formed in 1830; attracted middle and working-class support, although Attwood did not believe in universal suffrage
Who was the BPU led by?
Thomas Attwood
How many people did the first meeting of the BPU attract?
15,000
What had resulted in the formation of the BPU?
Attwood had noticed, in the recent campaign in Ireland, the impact public pressure and mass support could have on the government
Which political union was dominated by artisans and craftsmen?
Metropolitan Political Union
Who led the Metropolitan Political Union?
Founded in London by Henry Hunt
Which party was appointed in November 1830?
Whigs
What did the Whig government of November 1830 decide to make a priority?
Parliamentary reform
When was the first Reform Bill presented to the House of Commons?
March 1831
Which controversial proposals did the first draft of the Reform Bill 1832 make?
Deprived 60 boroughs of both their MPs and another 47 of one of their MPs; awarded many of these seats to new, industrial towns; established a uniform voting qualification in the boroughs
What was the uniform voting qualification proposed in the first draft of the Reform Bill 1832 in the boroughs?
All those who owned or rented a house worth £10 a year in rent would be enfranchised
Why did Sir Robert Peel and other Tories oppose the first draft of the Reform Bill 1832?
Believed it would not be ‘final’
What happened when a vote was taken on the second reading of the Reform Bill 1832?
Government won by a single vote- April 1831
Why was the king reluctant to agree to the Whigs’ requests after the defeat of the bill in April 1831?
General election just 6 months before; recent poor harvests; riots and demonstrations
What did the Whigs demand after the defeat of the bill in April 1831?
Asked king to dissolve Parliament and call a new election
How did Earl Grey persuade the king to give into the Whig demands after the defeat of the bill April 1831?
Reform of Parliament would pacify public opinion and cause the agitation in the country to die down
Which major newspaper supported reform and gave huge coverage to meetings and petitions?
The Times
How did the Whigs do in the general election of June 1831?
Swept back to power with a majority of over 130 seats
How many pro-reform candidates were successful in the general election of June 1831 in the counties?
Gained 76/82 county seats
What was the main change made in the second draft of the Reform Bill 1832?
Whigs agreed to a Tory amendment that extended the vote in the counties to tenants renting land worth £50 a year, not just to those owning property worth £2 a year
When was the Reform Bill eventually passed by the House of Commons?
September 1831
How many people attended the march organised by Attwood in Birmingham in October 1831?
100,000- ranging from bankers to miners
How was the BPU involved with putting pressure on the House of Lords to pass the Reform Bill?
Thomas Attwood had a meeting with Grey- Attwood was planning a big demonstration and Grey hinted that then was the time for the BPU to make itself felt
Where did riots break out when the House of Lords rejected the Reform Bill?
Nottingham; Derby; Bristol
Who was one of the main targets of the riots in Bristol about the House of Lords’ defeat of the Reform Bill?
Bishop, who had voted against the bill in the lords; his palace was burned down
Why were the Whigs, Tories, aristocracy and middle classes shocked by the violence after the House of Lords’ defeat of the Reform Bill?
Could discredit the reform movement; might scare the government into backing down and dropping their proposals
At this time, who was one of the few radical MPs in Parliament?
Henry Hunt
When did the Whigs introduce a third draft of the Reform Bill to Parliament and how was it received?
December 1831; passed the Commons with a majority of 2:1
When did Grey introduce the third draft of the Reform Bill to the House of Lords?
April 1832
How long did the debate about the third draft of the Reform Bill last for in the House of Lords?
5 days
When did the Lords pass the Reform Bill?
15th April 1832
What happened when the Reform Bill reached the House of Lords’ committee?
Rejected on 7th May 1832
‘Days of May’
Tense days in early May 1832 when the king refused to create new peers; Wellington tried to form a new government; some huge demonstrations were held and there was even talk of armed conflict
Who was determined to do all they could to block any Tory administration in 1832?
Political unions
When did the 1st Representation of the People Act pass?
June 1832
After the 1832 RPA, when did the Liberals introduce reform bills?
1859-69
When did PM Viscount Palmerston die?
October 1865
Why was the death of Viscount Palmerston so significant?
Vigorously opposed to reform
Who became PM after Viscount Palmerston’s death?
Russell
Why was reform placed on the political agenda once more when Russell became PM?
Steered the 1832 Act through parliament
What made the passing of the 1867 RPA different to that of the 1832 RPA?
No substantial pressure/real grievances outside parliament for reform before 1865
When was the American Civil War?
1861-65
When was the Reform Union formed?
1864
When was the Crimean War?
1854-56
What did the Reform Union promote?
Moderate extension of franchise; secret ballot
What had allowed for an easier distribution of information by 1865?
Growth of mass-circulation newspapers
Who did the Reform Union gain support among?
Prosperous middle classes
Why did the Reform Union gain support?
Reform seen as a means of furthering commercial interests, as well as challenging inefficiency and waste of national government
When was the Reform League formed?
1865
How did the Reform League compare to the Reform Union?
Much larger and more formidable; committed to universal manhood suffrage; strong following among trade unionists and skilled working class
What position did Gladstone hold in Russell’s government?
Chancellor of the Exchequer
When did Gladstone introduce the 1st draft of the 1867 RPA to the HoC?
March 1866
What were Gladstone’s initial proposals in his 1st draft of the 1867 RPA?
Reduced borough franchise from £10 to £7; extended county franchise to tenants paying annual rent of £14 or more
How many people did Gladstone originally propose to add to the franchise in the 1867 RPA?
200,000 in the boroughs; 170,000 in the counties
Who led the opposition to the 1st draft of the 1867 RPA?
Uncompromising Whigs, led by Robert Lowe and the Adullamites; Disraeli and the Conservatives
What happened to the 1st draft of the 1867 RPA?
Bill failed and gov resigned in June; minority Conservative gov took office
Who led the Conservative government that took over from Russell and Gladstone?
Lord Derby as PM; Benjamin Disraeli as Chancellor of the Exchequer
When had Derby and Disraeli briefly hold office pre-1867?
1852; 1858-59
Why did Derby and Disraeli take up the issue of franchise reform?
To restore image of the Tory Party
How did the Reform League protest against the failure of the 1st draft of the 1867 RPA?
Hyde Park riot July 1866
Why did the economic situation decline dramatically in 1866?
May- financial house of Overend and Gurney collapsed; heavy rains wiped out many crops; virulent rinderpest disease wiped out many herds of cattle; cotton famine in northern England
What were the factors promoting reform in 1867?
Dramatic rise in circulation of the popular press; Reform Union and Reform League; economic distress; Conservative Party ready to take up cause
Who led the resistance to the 1867 RPA within the Conservatives?
Cranborne; later Lord Salisbury
When did Disraeli introduce his reform proposals?
February 1867
When did Disraeli introduce the 2nd draft of the 1867 RPA?
18 March 1867
Which Tory ministers immediately resigned when Disraeli initially introduced his reform proposals?
Cranborne, Carnarvon; General Peel
How many people came to the Hyde Park meeting organised by the Reform League and the Reform Union?
200,000
What was Hodgkinson’s amendment?
Abolished distinction between compounders and those who paid their rates in person; enfranchised 500,000 men
When did the 1867 RPA pass?
August 1867
How did the 1867 RPA affect the electorate?
Doubled it to 2 million
How was the county electorate specifically changed by the 1867 RPA?
Expanded from 540,000 to 800,000
After the 1867 RPA, which constituency drew its majority from the working class?
Sheffield
How many adult males could vote after the passing of the 1867 RPA?
1/3
What was the common ground between the bills introduced by Liberal and Conservative governments in 1866-67?
Neither party was prepared to concede the vote to the ‘residuum’
What did the RPA 1867 mark?
Beginning of a clear shift of political influence
How did the parties try and win the support of the electorate after the 1867 RPA?
Passed reforms throughout the 1870s; established national party organisations
What made the 1884 RPA different to the two previous RPAs?
No significant pressure from inside or outside parliament for further changes to electoral system
Who pushed for the 1884 RPA?
Gladstone
What were the results of the 1880 election?
Returned Gladstone to office for 2nd time
How did the first draft of the 1884 RPA fare in Parliament?
Passed easily through HoC; blocked in HoL, thanks to intervention of Lord Salisbury
Why was Salisbury against the 1884 RPA?
Feared it would weaken Conservative Party dramatically and establish Liberal dominance over towns and countryside
Why was Gladstone so eager to pass the 1884 RPA?
New county voters, such as small tenant farmers and agricultural labourers, would be more likely to vote Liberal
What was the official reason Gladstone gave for the introduction of his 1884 RPA?
Difficult to justify maintenance of separate borough and county franchises
What was the difference between the borough and county franchises pre-1884 RPA?
Household suffrage in boroughs; more restrictive £12 suffrage in counties
When did Queen Victoria urge the parties to negotiate the end of their deadlock over the 1884 RPA?
October 1884
What was the Arlington Street compact?
Tories would allow 1884 RPA to pass as long as it was followed by major redistribution of seats
How did the electorate change as a result of the 1884 RPA?
Rose by 84% to 5.5 million
How many adult males did the 1884 RPA still exclude from the franchise?
40%
Who did the 1884 RPA propose to give the vote to?
Male householders; £10 lodgers
How did the 1918 RPA change the electorate?
Tripled it from 7,000,000 to 21,000,000
How many women did the 1918 RPA give the vote to?
8 million
When had a general election been due, which was postponed due to WW1?
1915
When were the proposals for the 1918 RPA drawn up?
Speaker’s Conference of 1916
What did the women enfranchised in the 1918 RPA have to be, as well as aged 30 or over?
Householders/wives of householders; university graduates; renting property valued at £5 per annum
How were political leaders persuaded that it wouldn’t be dangerous to introduce universal suffrage for both men and women?
General elections of 1918-24 saw little change in voting habits
Which organisation continued to campaign for female suffrage after the 1918 RPA?
National Union of Societies for Equal Citizenship (NUSEC)
What was NUSEC formed from?
NUWSS
How many employed women could vote before the Equal Franchise Act?
1/15
How many female Conservative Party members were there by 1928?
Over a million
When were women more likely than men to vote Conservative?
1920s
When did Stanley Baldwin support equal suffrage from?
1924
When did the Conservative Party agree to extend the franchise to women aged 21 and over?
1927
What was the last attempt opponents of equal suffrage mounted in 1927 to prevent reform?
Daily Mail published several articles claiming that reform meant giving the vote to ‘flappers’
What did opponents of equal franchise argue about it in 1927?
It would bring about feminisation of political culture
How many votes did the 1928 RPA pass by?
387 to 10 votes
How many women did the 1928 RPA add to the electorate?
5.2 million
How did female voters compare to male voters after the 1928 RPA?
14.5 million women; 12.25 million men
