Changing Political Attitudes: Cause Of The 1867 Reform Act

Question 1

Lord Palmerston

Answer 1

1859- the liberals were returned to power under lord Palmerston who’s main priority was foreign policy and he was against democracy so reform was the off the agenda in the 1860’s

Question 2

MP John Bright

Answer 2

Founded the anti-corn law league in 1839 and opposed Britain’s role in the Crimean war and in 1858 he carried out a series of public speeches aimed at reform and he projected the rights of working class people

Question 3

The American civil war

Answer 3

The economic prosperity of Britain thrived in the 1860’s party due to the textile industries in the north west (1861-65) however the outbreaks of civil war in USA in 1861 which led to the cotton famine where thousands of workers were laid off

Question 4

How much work did Lancashire provide

Answer 4

355000

Question 5

What was the size of the population of Britain in 861

Answer 5

31 million- the majority whom lived in the industrial towns and cities under the borough electoral rules and many of them couldn’t vote

Question 6

What did lord Russel propose in 1852 to extend the franchise

Answer 6

That the existing borough qualification should be decreased from £10 to £6

Question 7

How many times was lord Russel’s bill of 1852 rejected by parliament

Answer 7

3

Question 8

What was the main reason that measures to extend the franchise in the 1850’s were defeated

Answer 8

An underlying fear of the working class becoming enfranchised and voting for the liberals

Question 9

What reform measure did the Conservative party offer in 1859

Answer 9

To retain the existing borough franchise and extend it into the counties

Question 10

What was the law passed n 1858 that enhanced the democratic process

Answer 10

The removal of property qualifications for MPs

Question 11

When did the American civil war begin and end

Answer 11

1861-1865

Question 12

How did lord Palmerston refer to the working class

Answer 12

The residuum

Question 13

Party rivalry

Answer 13

After the defeat of the liberal bill in 1866 the tories saw their chance to seize political momentum and won the election with a small minority.
Disraeli introduced a reform bill in 1867 assuming that his party would support if it was going to keep the whigs out of government and it was eventually passed in 1867

Question 14

The role of William Gladstone

Answer 14

His visit to Lancashire cotton mills during the cotton famine gave him the chance to reasses his opinion of the working classes so he reinvented himself as a popular politician
His bill in 1866 was designed to enfranchise the ‘respectable’ working population - cautious in giving the vote to 1 in 4 men rather than 1 in 5 - right wing whigs reacted badly and sided with the tories to defeat it in June

Question 15

Role of Benjamin Disraeli

Answer 15

1804-81 - saw political reform as a vote winner for the conservatives and a personal victory in his own career

Question 16

Reform league

Answer 16

Formed in 1865 it pressed for complete manhood suffrage . It attracted trade unionists and ex-Chartists and was a mainly working class organisation 
400 branches by 1867

Question 17

Role of robert peel

Answer 17

Moderniser of the Tory part with his ‘Tamworth manifesto 1834 - The main aim of the manifesto was to appeal to the electorate in the new Parliament. Peel accepted that the Reform Act 1832 was “a final and irrevocable settlement of a great constitutional question”. He promised that the Conservatives would support moderate reform and correction of proved grievances

Question 18

Hyde park riots

Answer 18

23rd July 1866 a reform league demonstration which started as a peaceful protest it became an unruly mob that lasted two days and troops had to be called out to restore order

Question 19

Respectable working class

Answer 19

The working classes had become influenced by Victorian values of hard work and self help which middle classes highly approved of

Question 20

National reform union

Answer 20

Formed in 1864 led by wealthy Manchester merchants, industrialists and radical MPs. Respectable and attractive to the intellectual elite of the liberal party and its aims were to persuade the gov. To extend the franchise to that of a household suffrage, distribute seats more evenly and bring in secret ballots
By 1867, 150 branches had been set up

Question 21

Death of lord Palmerston

Answer 21

His success in securing British interests in the world gave him the power to block further parliamentary reform as prime minister and in his opinion it would bring ‘scum’ to the top
His death in 1865 then gave way to a more reformist PM, lord Russell who introduced a reform bill in 1866 under Gladstone