Government And Representation Flashcards
What did the king lords and commons make up according to asa Briggs?
A supreme authority that shared political power with one another, rather than it being held in isolation
What is a minister?
A politician who holds significant public office in government
How does asa Briggs describe ministers at this time?
The king could choose his own ministers, but had to select from those within parliament. They were not that dependent on pressure outside of Westminster, but they could not afford to ignore parliamentary support
What did ministers have a their disposal to control parliamentary support?
Public patronage - including things like rewards, honours and pensions
Why were ministers not particularly worried about the electorate according to asa Briggs?
It was small, infrequently called upon to vote and amenable to pressure
Why did ministers have to find a balance according to asa Briggs?
They were agents of the king, but also had to pay careful attention to parliament
What does asa Briggs claim was crucial in allowing the king’s government to carry on?
Patronage
What is a mixed constitution?
A form of government on which a hereditary monarch is head of state, with powers limited by parliament; it is sometimes referred to as a constitutional monarchy
Explain the concept of patronage
This is the right to give privileges or make appointments. The king had this power over many important appointments, giving him considerable political influence. It meant he had the opportunity to fill parliament with men who supported his policies. His ministers also had limited powers of patronage to build up their support in the commons and country. Loyalty was expected in return
What is a statute?
A written law
What is divine right?
The concept that a monarch rules by authority of god, not through consent of the people
What is a civil list?
A fixed annual sum, agreed by parliament, to meet the monarchs household expenses
Define veto
To reject a decision or proposal made by parliament
Briefly describe George III
Reigned between 1760-1820. Played an active role in politics l. Accepted limited role as a constitutional monarch but used patronage to influence parliament on issues he felt strongly about. Suffered from an increasingly debilitating mental illness, and, in 1811, his eldest son George was appointed prince regent
How was the principle of supremacy of parliament over the monarch established?
In the bill of rights, passed after the glorious revolution
What did the bill of rights do?
Aimed to restrict the power of the monarchy and prevent them from interfering with any future laws
What was the glorious revolution?
Occured after Stuart king James persisted in his belief that he ruled by divine right, and so was forced to abdicate in favour of his daughter and son in law Mary II and William III.
What could the monarch still do as head of state?
- influence general policy
- retained the power to choose and dismiss his ministers
- retained the right to summon and dissolve parliament, but could not rule without it. If parliament was dissolved, a general election would have to be called immediately
- the monarch still had the power to veto legislation, hut was unlikely to do this if it would jeopardize his income
What had happened to the king by 1832 according to Vernon bogdanor?
His power to determine policy had benn effectively reduces to influence
What did Vernon bogdanor say about the importance of the sovereigns support in the 18th century?
It was becoming neither sufficient nor necessary
What happened to the position of PM in the 18tg century according to Vernon bogdanor?
It came gradually to rest not some much on royal support, as upon the support of the commons
Describe society and social tea at this time
- Society was organised according to the rank someone was born in.
- The minority made up the propertied classes, who had wealth, power and superiority
- the aristocracy were the privileged, ruling elite and were great landowners
- there were those with substantial property and local influence
- the gentry, whose position in society was based on lesser land ownership
- yeoman farmers farmed their own land
- there was an expanding,.prosperous middle class, which the merchants were a part of
- the vast majority belonged to the lower classes - the propertyless labouring classes and the poor
What was parliament comprised of?
The house of lords (the upper house) and the house of commons (the lower house)
Who were the lords?
They were the ruling elite, made up of unelected hereditary peers. They had great political influence, including the ability to block measures from the commons
What was the house of commons?
It was an elected assembly, but not democratic, as few had the right to vote.
MPs in the commons belonged to what class for the most part?
The gentry
Why can an arguement be made that commons MPs did not have their constituents best interests at heart?
- many MPs regarded their seat as an opportunity for advancement
- there were other MPs who did it because they liked having their own independence
- they often represented the interests of landowners and gentry in their constituency
Describe the commons during this time period
- they controlled taxation
- their main duty was to act as a check on ministers
- there were several different factions and interest groups, making it hard for a stable majority to be achieved
- the late 18th century saw the growth of parties and this strengthened the commons
- the pm had to have majority support in the commons to govern
- the lords still maintained influence over the commons
- by the late 18th century, commons influence was growing
- 558 elected members
- they were gentleman of independent means who could afford the privilege, as MPs received no salary
- a county member had to have an annual income of £600
- a borough member had to have an annual income of £300
What was the privy council?
The monarchs group of advisors. They acted as a bridge between king and parliament on policy decision. Member were appointed for life and so it became too large to be manageable. This meant that the cabinet gained more power
What is the cabinet?
Known today as the committee at the centre of the British political system responsible for making decisions in government; in 1783 it’s role was to offer advice to the king
What was the first lord of the treasury?
One thing d the lords commissioners of the treasury and by custom, which continues today, prime minister
Describe the role of pm at this time
- it was important this was someone the monarch could trust
- most of George IIIs appointed ministers were peers of the realm, but it was vital the pm enjoyed the support of the commons to govern aswell. The pm was able to use public patronage to cement essential parliamentary support
What is a prerogative?
A special right or privilege. It was the king’s prerogative whether or not he accepted the advice of his ministers
What is a coalition?
An alliance between two or more political groups of parties
Briefly describe William Pitt
His father was a British statesman and pm. He was the youngest holder of the office at 24 in 1783. His political career spanned his entire adult life and he died in office at the age of 46. His considerable financial and administrative skills were complemented by his great political skill, which helped him survive in office
Why did the loss of the American colonies in 1782 weaken George III position?
An angry parliament forced the resignation of his pm, lord north, and forced him to accept Rockingham, who he detested
Who was parliament dominated by?
Wealthy and influential landowners and aristocrats, who saw little necessity for any change to the existing system. They were in parliament to look after their own interests, seek personal advantage and benefit from patronage
What was a county member?
Each county was represented by 2 MPs, elected by men whose freehold land had a rateable value of at least 40 shillings per year
What was a borough member?
Each borough was represented by 2 MPs, irrespective of population size
Define franchise
The right to vote, which was generally based upon a property qualification
Define freehold land
The person who has it owns it
Describe the electorate at the time
Small, male, based on property ownership and unrepresentative of the population as a whole. Whatever legislation was passed through parliament was not the will of the people
What was defeated in the commons in 1792 and 1795?
Two attempts by Pitt to redistribute seats to the expanding, unrepresented industrial areas
Describe the house of lords at the time
- had little interest in political reform as it would threaten their position
- the right to sit in the lords was based upon holding a hereditary peerage
- small, powerful, wealthy aristocracy
- a relatively closed society linked through blood, marriage and an interest in retaining political dominance
- their political and social dominance came from ownership of vast tracts of land, which enabled them to control nominations for the majority of seats in the house of commons
How many men in England and Wales had the right to vote in 1783?
250,000 - with the number of voters as a % of the population falling
What were potwalloper boroughs?
Ownership of your own hearth gave you the right to vote
Who were freemen?
People given the freedom of a city or borough, meaning they enjoyed all of the civil and political rights accorded to people under a free government. There were some boroughs where only freemen could vote
What was a Scot and lot borough?
The right to vote was based on the payment of a local tax
What were corporation boroughs?
Only the mayor and members of the corporation could vote
Who could vote in Preston?
Anyone who stayed the night before an election
What was a pocket borough?
A place controlled entirely by the owner
What were rotten boroughs?
Places like Banbury, which had few qualified voters but still returned two MPs
Describe the democratic crisis in Scotland at the time
- 45 Scottish MPs had a seat in the commons
- only 16 representative Scottish peers sat in the lords
- the electorate number 4500 out of a population of 1,600,000
- as in England, power was concentrated in the hands of large landowners, who had no interest in the social and economic issues of their constituents
In what ways was parliament corrupt in its electoral procedures?
- not all seats were contested at elections. In pocket boroughs, the landowner nominated the no, who returned unopposed.
- where voting did take place it was carried out in public. This open system allowed widespread bribery and corruption.
- men regarded their right to vote as a piece of property which could be sold to the highest bidder
- In a closely fought contest, a candidate’s agents would be out buying votes
What was cooping?
Keeping a voter drunk so he could not vote for the opposition
