Extra knowledge/ events

Question 1

Examples of intimidation by the government against reformers?

Answer 1

• from 1793, an alien section and secret service were created to infiltrate radical societies eg LCS
• licenses taken away from pubs allowing political meetings

Question 2

Examples of government propaganda to limit reformers?

Answer 2

• Conservative newspapers were printed in the 1790s to support the government actions eg the Sun
• this gained Pitt support in parliament and increases peoples patriotism against the threat of France

Question 3

What was loyalism, what examples were there and what did they do?

Answer 3

• groups of people with a distinct allegiance to the country ie the established unreformed government and political system
• Church and kings clubs in 1790s who used violence and intimidation to crush threats to the church
• Association for preserving liberty and property set up in 1792; volunteer paramilitary force used to keep order during the wars against France
• 450,000 members by 1804

Question 4

What impact did emerging radical press have on reformers with examples

Answer 4

• growth of cheap radical press encouraged people to make the connection between economic distress, misgovernment and the need for political reform
• from 1816 William Cobbett began republishing the weekly article from his weekly political register to a large working class audience
• these circulated throughout pubs and coffee houses, influencing the masses over time

Question 5

What views did the Tories have towards reform after Thomas Paine’s book?

Answer 5

• Burkes ‘reflections of the revolution’ dominated the Tory party view on reform and argued that moderate reform could lead to violent revolution as it had in france
• Lord Liverpool and Peel spearheaded this view
• they argued reform could increase social tension by putting country against town and land industry, as not all areas could be represented by redistributing seats
• Britain was currently prosperous under the current system so why change it?

Question 6

What view did the whigs have on reform by 1800?

Answer 6

• They were in support fo moderate reform, but weren’t revolutionary or democrats in any sense (drawn from the same class as the tories)
• suggested careful and controlled concessions to the middle classes only (land owning qualifications excluded lower classes)
• failure to reform would see an alliance between the Lower and middle classes whilst reform could Bring the middle class onto the sides of the elite, and they knew they would gain middle class votes if they helped them

Question 7

What was the income tax repeal in 1816??

Answer 7

• income tax that was introduced to help pay for the Napoleon war were repealed in 1816 and replaced with more indirect taxes on lower class goods
• indirect tax revenue increased £50million after 1816, which was regressive whilst the rich had more money

Question 8

What was the Cato street conspiracy and when?

Answer 8

February 1820- a group led by Thistlewood who planned to assassinate Lord Liverpool and trigger uprisings across the country

Question 9

What was the Peterloo massacre and when?

Answer 9

August 1819- Henry Hunt spoke to a crowd of 60,000 but the police arrived, there were too many people so reinforcements were sent, but 11 people were killed and 400-600 injured

Question 10

What was the 6 acts and give 3 examples

Answer 10

The governments reaction to revolutionary activity among GBs Lower classes

• training prevention act banned paramilitary training
• newspaper and stamp duty act introduced 4d duty to make newspapers more expensive and less accessible by the lower classes
• seizure of arms gave powers to search for and seize arms

Question 11

How did GNP and manufacturing increase thought the 1820s?

Answer 11

GNP increased 17% and manufacturing increased 25%

Question 12

Examples of socio-economic related outbreaks of violence in the 1820s?

Answer 12

1821-3000 ironworkers and coal miners refused to disperse when was the riot act was read, 2 miners killed
1825-6- mass unemployment in the cotton trade in the north led to 20 mills attacked and 1000 looms smashed

Question 13

Who set up the BPU and why was it successful?

Answer 13

Thomas Attwood- employers and employees worked more closely together in small workshops in Birmingham, also attracted 200,000 middle and lower class people to the days of may in 1832

Question 14

What was the NUWC and where were they largely based?

Answer 14

National union of the working class- exclusively working class union with just under 100 branches, 1/3 in the north and 1/3 In the midlands. Also involved in the days of may

Question 15

When did Lord Liverpool resign, how long had he been in power and who replaced him?

Answer 15

1827 after 15 years, Duke of wellington replaced him and created instability

Question 16

How did the death of George IV and the rise of the whigs help the 1832 reform act pass?

Answer 16

• George IV replaced by William IV, who was more accepting of moderate reform and the ideas of them whigs
• he invited Earl grey to to form a government in 1830
• Grey wanted to included men of property into suffrage, as many middle class people were becoming involved with the whigs
• he saw himself as a half way house between radicalism and the current system

Question 17

How was the south still over-represented compared to the north and how was this shown in Leeds?

Answer 17

south had 370 MPs whilst north had 120

Leeds had only 5000 voters out of 125,000 due to the £10 land owning qualification

Question 18

What did Gladstone say in 1864 which encouraged another reform act?

Answer 18

the working class which had proven themselves ie paid taxes and rent should be able to vote