Democracy, Protest and Reform Flashcards
2 types of constituencies
counties (rural shires)
boroughs (urban towns)
what were the problems with pre-reformed parliament
lack of secret ballot-(intimidation)
11% population could vote
rotten borough
unrepresentative
rotten borough
small town important in middle ages
not anymore
e.g 2 MPs in Dunwich
give an example of a city that wasn’t represented as a borough
Birmingham
1831- 144,000 population
what was the problem with each county having 2 MPs
unrepresentative
Bedfordshire 2,000 population
Yorkshire 20,000
what was wrong with borough qualifications
too complicated
e.g scot and lot, freemen +corporation
when was the 1st attempt for reform and why didn’t it work
William Pitt disenfranchise 36 worst boroughs
defeated by 74
1780s system benefited those in power
who wrote ‘rights of man’
Thomas Paine
1793
called for radical reform+critisised inequalities
sold 200,000
what was the impact of the french revolution on parliamentary reform
1789 aristorcratic rule overthrown ‘rule by the rich’
set wave of new ideas
which two groups called for reform after the french revolution
sheffield society for constitutional info
london corresponding society
what did the sheffield society do in 1791
10,000 signatures national petition manhood suffrage
what did the london corresponding society do 1792
set up demonstration over 100,000
what was the impact of the napoleonic wars on parliamentary reform
gov took tight control
focus on patriotism not reform
movement re-emerged when soldiers returned to bad economy
too much labour=low wages
what happened after the napoleonic wars ended in 1815 which increased demand for reform
1816-17 harvest failures increase food prices
gov need to be supporting those in need
what was the main drive of parliamentary reform
usually discontent over economy
early 1800s parliamentary reform protests
spa fields islington 1816
march of blanketeers 1817
st peters field 1818
peterloo massacre
16th August 1819
speaker Henry Hunt
60,000
18 dead, 400 wounded
what did the government pass as a direct reaction to the peterloo massacre
6 Acts- ban on public meetings 50+, death penalty for speeches
suggested gov was fearful
what was the impact of the 6 acts on the reform movements after 1819
drove moderates away-scared
encouraged some reformers e.g Authur Thistlewood
why was there declining reform violence in the 1820s
improving economy
peterloo act as a lesson
why did the middle class start to make political demands
wanted laissez faire economy french war-gov took tight control leg to restrict trade they didn't like this corn laws so employers had to increase wages so employees could get enough food to work
corn laws 1815
no foreign corn
protect farmers
bread price increase in cities
people not strong enough to work
why were the middle class successful in demanding for reform
employed most population
gave country resources
aristorcratic favourtism-inefficient
the economy in the 1820s
1821-29 GDP grew by 16.8%
gov relax grip on counry
what caused reform to re-emerge at the end of the 1820s
1828-29 harvest failures
increase food prices
200+ petitions
swing riots in SE
how did those in power view reform
a way of appeasement
give a little bit at a time to control
The Birmingham Political Union
1829 set up by Thomas Attwood
aim = more representation
became model for other unions
what were the causes of the 1832 reform act
Tory Hegemony middle class pressure the resignation of lord liverpool passage of the act riots+3rd reform bill days of may
how was Tory Hegemony a cause of the 1832 reform act
party seemed united-hard for whig challengers 1691 Penal laws increase sympathy-catholic question 1823 Catholic association=more focus focus of 1826 GE-showed weakness still got in
1691 penal laws
no catholics in parliament
how was the resignation of lord liverpool+tory crisis a cause of the 1832 reform act
1827 resigned
3 leaders in 11months
divided liberals+ultras
1830 whigs in power
whop was the leader of the whig party in 1830
earl grey
he wanted to extend the vote gave him more chance of being re-elected
march 1831 presented a bill
how was the passage of the act; 1st+2nd bills a cause of the 1832 reform act
struggled in commons, amended in committee
grey asked king to dissolve parliament
had a GE 140 majority
through commons blocked at lords
how was the days of may a cause of the 1832 reform act
king asked wellington (Tory) to form gov
didn’t get enough support
country financial protest withdrew £1.8mill 10 days
king gave grey peers to pass act
tories didn;t want defeat by peers so agreed to act
what were the provisions of the reform act
56 boroughs disenfranchised 42 new adult males property £10 a year had to be registered borough uniform qualifications
what was the size of the electorate after the 1832 reform act
366,000 to 650,000
18% adult male population
who did the act still favour
counties
370 MPs from south
120 from densley populated North
who did the 1832 act not represent
working class only extended to business owners continued discontent
when was chartism set up and by who
1836 London Working Men’s Association
political reform for working class
chartists 6 aims
equal representation manhood suffrage 21+ annual parliaments remove property qualifications for MPs secret ballot pay MPs
chartist membership
working class e.g craftsmen middle class fluctuated-good economy=less members
moral force chartism
William Lovett
Thomas Attwood
petitions+leaflets
change view on how working class were seen (ignorant+violent)
physical force chartism
Fergus O’connor+George Harney
strike (even armed rev)
1st chartist petition
1889
1.2 mill sigs
235-46 lost
what was one of the main reasons the 1st chartist petition failed
physical force took opp to trike
newport rising 5,000 miners
1839-41 500 prison
2nd chartist petition
1842
3 mill
still defeated
people looking for other things
what did people start to look to after the failure of the second chartist petition
e.g Land Plan Fergus O’connor
attracked 70,00 by 1848
Kennington common rally and 3rd chartist petition
10th April rally
get 5 million signatures
decline-told sig weren’t genuine
what were the reasons for the failure of chartism
hunger politics poor leadership too ambitious gov legislation gov determination
why was hunger politics a reason for chartist failure
rise+fall of membership
economic change actually cause for unrest
poor leadership (failure of chartism)
didn’t have definitive approach
moral/physical
too ambitious (failure of chartism)
radical
6 aims
asking people who didnt want change
gov legislation (failure of chartism)
10 hour act
repeal corn laws
took away some working class discontent
undermined chartists
gov determination (failure of chartism)
railway networks-transport troops to areas of discontent
shown strength at peterloo
1848 3rd petition 8,000 soldiers+ 150,000 speical constables
continuity in the political systems by 1850
franchise extension=re-inforced elite
corruption+intimidation no secret ballot
change in the political system by 1850
registration to vote- system more professional
1835 Muncipal Corporations Act-ELECTED councils
attitude shift-more responsive to electorate
examples of ‘radical’ whig reformers in second half of 1800
Peter Locke King
Joseph Hume- reform bill every session of parliament 1848-62
population change
1821-24 mill
1861- 31 mill
electorate map out of dates
early political efforts to extend the franchise
1852 Russel lower qual to £6 was reject cons £10 extend to counties 1st would help whigs+ 2nd cons neither passed 1868 abolish property qual for Mps
how was the american civil war a motive for reform in late 1800
Uk's biggest cotton import 1861 civil war='cotton famine' working class not protest but made best of bad situation Gladstone (chanc of Exchq) impressed by response grew awareness value working class
how was Lord Palmerston a motive for reform
Tory MP 1859
anti reform
caused reform question again-John Bright moderniser+co-founder anti corn law leag
The Reform Union
1864
secret ballot+all male ratepayers vote
liberal minded employers e,g Morely (MP)
respectable lobbyists
The Reform League
1865 Reform League secret ballot+universal male suffrage working class ex-chartists+trade union seen as radical (weren't) demonstrations
Gladstone’s Reform Bill 1866
1865 Palmerstone dead
Bill reduced £7 qual
was rejected
The Adullamites+liberal divisions
adullamites against gladstone reform
whigs more inclusive=broader opinions
amendment made to his bill
russel resigned
the role of disraeli in the second reform act
own bill 1867
allowed radical whig amendments
passed august 1867
what was the impact of the reform act of 1867
2.46 mill voters more profess campaigns more representative big population areas get more power midlands+north still unrepresented no women+still plural voting
what were the details of the second reform act 1967
45 seats from boroughs redistributed counties+new boroughs borough male vote if there for year lodgers boroughs £10 counties all owners £5 year
