Chapter 13 - Grey and Melbourne

Question 1

What margin did the Whigs win the 1832 General Election by?

Answer 1

479 seats to 179

Question 2

What were the three main problems faced by the Whig governments of the 1830s?

Answer 2

1. Problems in Ireland, including rural unrest and calls for the Act of Union’s repeal
2. Loss of several Whig leaders to resignation or retirement
3. Disagreement between Whigs and Radicals

Question 3

What problems did Radicals in Parliament cause the Whigs in the 1830s?

Answer 3

They queried every institution and tax, and were enthusiastic to push for further reform, despite the Whigs believing that the Great Reform Act had quenched the need for political reform

Question 4

Who were some examples of influential 1830s Parliamentary radicals?

Answer 4

Thomas Attwood, John Arthur Roebuck and William Cobbett

Question 5

What was the Coercion Act of 1833 and why was it passed?

Answer 5

Passed to stop rural Irish unrest and ongoing refusal of Catholic tenants to pay tithe to Anglican clergy, gave wide powers to Irish authorities, including curfews and suppression of disturbances

Question 6

When did Grey resign as Whig leader?

Answer 6

August 1834

Question 7

Who replaced Grey as Whig leader?

Answer 7

Lord Melbourne

Question 8

When did Grey give up politics altogether?

Answer 8

1839

Question 9

What were major contributing factors in Grey stepping down as PM?

Answer 9

1. Exhaustion after passing an extensive program of reforms
2. Frustration with problems in Ireland, with the final straw likely being an attempt to dilute his Coercion Act, prompted by O’Connell
3. A challenge from Lord John Russell over Ireland causing the resignation of several senior Whigs

Question 10

What were the differing schools of thought amongst Whigs in the early 1830s on how to deal with problems in Ireland?

Answer 10

Some, such as Lord John Russell, wanted concessions to be made, whilst others, such as Lord Stanley (Chief Secretary for Ireland) wanted harsher coercion

Question 11

What reforms preceded the Whigs’ Coercion Act in Ireland?

Answer 11

Church and education reforms, including the abolishment of a church tax and the reduction of the power of the Anglican Church in Ireland

Question 12

What was Lord John Russell’s challenge to Grey’s policies over Ireland?

Answer 12

He proposed ‘appropriation’, the use of surplus Irish Church funds for educational and social benefits for the Irish poor

Question 13

When did King William IV invite Lord Melbourne to form a government for the first time?

Answer 13

August 1834

Question 14

Why did King William IV invite Lord Melbourne to form a government in August 1834?

Answer 14

To safeguard him against policies he disliked, as Melbourne had a conservative approach to reform, and did not see any necessity for more after the Great Reform Act

Question 15

How did Melbourne upset the King during his first administration?

Answer 15

First he refused to include Peel and Wellington to create a moderate coalition at the King’s request. Then, he insisted on appointing Lord Russell as Chancellor of the Exchequer, which led to the King, who disliked Russell’s radical tendencies, to dismiss Melbourne’s government

Question 16

How did Melbourne upset the radical Whigs in his first administration?

Answer 16

He excluded them from the Cabinet, which was a mistake as one, Henry Brougham, would not sit back in silence

Question 17

What calamity befell Melbourne during his first administration, which led to him appointing John Russell as Chancellor?

Answer 17

The father of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lord Althorp, died, obliging him to take up his seat in the Lords and vacating the positions of Chancellor and Leader of the Commons

Question 18

When did the King dismiss Melbourne’s first government?

Answer 18

November 1834

Question 19

Who did the King invite to take over after Melbourne’s first administration and when did this occur?

Answer 19

Peel, who took over in December 1834

Question 20

Was Peel’s first spell as Prime Minister a success?

Answer 20

No- the Whigs were angry at the King’s actions which had led to Peel coming to power, so made a concerted effort to bring down his government, which occurred within a few weeks

Question 21

What was the Lichfield House Compact?

Answer 21

A pact which Lord John Russell formed with Daniel O’Connell, which promised Irish support for Whigs in Parliament in return for reforms in Ireland when the Whigs regained power

Question 22

When was the Lichfield House Compact formed?

Answer 22

February 1835

Question 23

When did Lord Melbourne become Prime Minister for the second time?

Answer 23

April 1835

Question 24

When did the Tories first become known as the Conservatives?

Answer 24

1834

Question 25

How did the Lichfield House Compact come to hurt the Whigs?

Answer 25

The Irish MPs took the opportunity to call for an end to the Act of Union, which severely discredited the Whig government

Question 26

What happened in the General Election of August 1837?

Answer 26

The Whigs lost ground to the Tories, but retained a majority

Question 27

What caused the Whigs to lose momentum after Melbourne returned to power in 1835?

Answer 27

• Quarrels between the Whigs and Radicals
• Failure to get a reasonable measure through Lords to abolish the system of church rates which was burdensome to nonconformists

Question 28

What was Queen Victoria’s personal political preference upon her accession in 1837?

Answer 28

She preferred Melbourne to Peel

Question 29

What did Lord John Russell attempt in 1841?

Answer 29

To introduce a free trade budget

Question 30

What problems were there for the Whigs by 1837?

Answer 30

• Budget deficits
• Higher taxes and an economic crisis which caused high unemployment and discontent
• No further reforms
• Melbourne’s brief resignation over a vote of no confidence (was only brief as Peel refused to form a government)

Question 31

What happened at the July 1841 election?

Answer 31

The Conservatives under Peel gained a majority

Question 32

How did the Whigs traditionally differ from the Tories?

Answer 32

The Whigs were more in favour of a constitutional monarchy, with limited power for the monarch

Question 33

What problems did Peel face when taking over as PM in 1841?

Answer 33

• Unrest from Chartists
• Difficulties in Ireland with O’Connell
• Financial concerns due to Whig deficits
• A responsibility to maintain and develop Whig social reforms

Question 34

How was the Great Reform Act politically advantageous for the Whigs?

Answer 34

Got rid of the Tory-dominated rotten and pocket boroughs

Question 35

What was Bentham’s theory of Utilitarianism?

Answer 35

The view that minimal government interference in the lives of people would bring the greatest happiness to the greatest number

Question 36

Why did the Whigs and Radicals each blame the other for loss of parliamentary support in the late 1830s?

Answer 36

The Whigs thought the Radicals were scaring off moderate support, whilst the Radicals were upset with the Whigs for not being reforming enough

Question 37

Which three people were dropped from the cabinet in 1835?

Answer 37

Russell, Brougham and Durham, the most outspoken Whig reformers

Question 38

What were the organisational weaknesses of the Whigs in the late 1830s?

Answer 38

They were more of a coalition than a truly united party, and lacked effective organisation

Question 39

Who was largely responsible for the greater organisation of the Tory party after 1832?

Answer 39

Francis Bonham, who was appointed by Peel in 1834

Question 40

What were some examples of better Tory organisation after 1832?

Answer 40

• Better use of the Parliamentary whip system
• More frequent meetings of party members
• The springing up of local Conservative Party organisations
• Bonham’s initiatives leading to the formation of a Tory network across areas of the country with strong Tory support

Question 41

Who did Peel keep his distance from after becoming Tory leader?

Answer 41

Ultra Tories, who had not forgiven him for passing Catholic Emancipation?

Question 42

What was Peel’s ‘constructive opposition’ tactic?

Answer 42

Using his influence to get certain Whig bills through Parliament instead of opposing them for the sake of it, which unnerved the Whigs and strengthened his position

Question 43

How did Peel weaken the Whigs while strengthening the Tories after becoming Conservative leader?

Answer 43

By recruiting moderate Whigs such as Lord Stanley and Sir James Graham, who had become uncomfortable with radical influence on the Whigs, into the Conservative Party, with both becoming part of his government in 1841

Question 44

What was Peel’s overall strategy after being elected in 1841?

Answer 44

Not to introduce reforms but to stimulate trade and increase prosperity, in which the working classes could take a share

Question 45

When did Peel deliver the Tamworth Manifesto?

Answer 45

December 1834

Question 46

What was the message of the Tamworth Manifesto?

Answer 46

That moderate reform and accepting the societal changes caused by industrialisation were the way forward

Question 47

What was the single achievement of Peel’s 1834-5 ministry?

Answer 47

Setting up the Ecclesiastical Commission, which ironed out anomalies and abuses in the Anglican church and whose recommendations were adopted by Melbourne’s Whigs when they returned to office

Question 48

What brought about a rise in Chartism in 1841-2?

Answer 48

An economic slump which caused high unemployment, wage reductions and general distress

Question 49

When did Peel pass the Mines Act?

Answer 49

1842

Question 50

What did the 1842 Mines Act do?

Answer 50

Prevented women and children working underground

Question 51

When did Peel repeal the Corn Laws?

Answer 51

1846

Question 52

When was Peel defeated and forced to resign as PM (in the 1840s)?

Answer 52

June 1846