Growth of Parliamentary democracy Flashcards
How many people could vote pre 1832
1/12 people could vote
366,000
When were the six acts enacted
1819
Name some of the terms of the six acts
banned meetings of 50 people
death penalty for publications of seditious material (use of language, designed to encourage rebellion)
no meetigs for military style drilling
gave magistrates more powers to search weapons
magistrates have no consequences
what did the six acts create
these created popular demand for reform
Between 1821 and 1829 what was the economic growth
GNP rose 16.8%
Manufacturing grew by 25%
1821-1829
what did the economic prosperity mean for government response
The Tory gov could relax its grip upon the country
Henry Hun released in 1822
how did the tory gov try and stabilise the country
replaced Tory Stalwarts like Lord Sidmouth with younger minds like Robert Peel
1821 reform
1821 Cornish borough of Grampound was disenfranchised. 2 seats given to Yorkshire.
1822 Whig Leader Jord John Russel bill
To disenfranchise 100 of Britain’s worst rotten boroughs
this was rejected by both sides of the house, both would not want to vote on a bill which would likely bout them out of a extremely powerful position.
between 1819 and 1828 what events created little call for reform
Reaction to the Peterloo massacre
economic fortune
implementation of the 6 acts
Little action from MPs
what caused another point of unrest in 1828-29
poor harvest in 1828-29, this rose food prices
what occurred in the rural areas between February and parch 1830
200 petitions to reduce tax in rural areas.
What were the swing riots
1830 18 months of rioting in the south east of England.
Burned hay ricks and prominent authority figures were accused of failing the local people
What did the economic boom in the 1820’s result in
Gave the middle class a greater desire for more political recognition.
Towns like Birmingham, Leeds and Sheffield expanded to become major centres of commerce
What was the BPI
The Birmingham political Union, established in December of 1829 by Thomas Attwood
This was created to achieve greater representation for new industrial cities
What were the penal laws
the Penal laws were enacted in 1691 and barred Catholics from sitting in parliament
Why was the ‘Catholic Question’ a reason for passing the great reform act
The Catholic association rose the question, Lord Liverpool wanted nothing do do with the Catholic question
New home Secretary Robert peel who was anti-emancipator
Foreign secretary Gorge Canning a keen supporter
This split the party and became the most important issue by 1826
How long had Liverpool run the Tory party for
15 years, 1812 - 1827
Why did Liverpool Resign, and what did this cause
Had a stroke
This caused a power struggle within the party
After Liverpools resignation how many leaders did the Tory party have
Within 11 months 3 different leaders were in the Tory party.
The Third Leader Duke of Wellington took office in August 1828
How did the Duke of Wellington divide the Party in 1829
Wellington supported Catholic Emancipation in 1829 which split the party into ‘Liberals’ (supporters) and ‘ultras’ (rejectors of emancipation)
What did the Tory party split mean in 1830
This reduced the publics confidence in the Tory party
1830 election came back with a 42 mp majority
How did middle class pressure help pass the great reform act
The methods of the middle class were respectable (petitions and speeches) these could not be put down
This new class had a stake in society and therefore the government was keen not to alienate its members.
What was the result of the 1832 election, and what was it about
The Whigs won with a majority of nearly 140
The election was essentially a referendum on the issue of reform
What were the Bristol riots
1831 Riots in Bristol by working class people, lasted for 3 days where the people held the city. 130 killed or wounded after a cavalry charge.
Where were there other riots preceding the 3rd reform bill (great reform act)
Nottingham and Derby
How slender was the majority which the great reform bill pass.
By April 1832 the Bill reached the Committee stage in the House of Lords.
Passed with a majority of 9
What were the ‘Days of May’
Earl Grey resigned, Duke of wellington formed a new Tory government. Public were not happy
The middle class in response withdrew their savings and investments in Banks to attempt to destroy the Government Finances
£1.8 Million was removed.
What were the provisions of the 1832 reform act
Under the new legislation: 56 boroughs in England and Wales were disenfranchised, 30 lost one of their 2 MPs
42 new Borough constituencies created
Scotland received 8 Extra seats and Ireland 5
In counties: Adult males owned land worth £10 a year or rented land worth £50 a year, and 40 shillings freeholder
In boroughs: adult males who either owned or rented property worth £10 a year and paid all relevant taxes. Had been in the property for at least 1 year with no poor relief
How many people could vote after the 1832 reform act
366,000 - 650,000 in England and Wales.
18% of the male population.
How was the Great reform act discredited
The act extended the franchise to to include a greater population in towns and cities but not hugely representative of the general population
The act widened the electorate for the middle class rather than the majority of the population
Rural seats were much more favoured then the cities: 370 MPs came from the south of England and only 120 from the North.
What were the Chartist demands and when published
- Equal representation
- Universal manhood suffrage for over 21
- Annual parliaments
- Removal of property qualifications For MPs
- A secret Ballot
- Payment for MPs
1838
What was the organisation which established chartism
The London Working men’s association 1836
Who founded the London Working Men’s association
William Lovett
Henry Hetherington and Thomas Attwood
These three published their manifesto named the ‘Peoples charter’ in 1838
Who was involved with the Chartist movement
Very broad. Majority of the members were working class: usually craftsmen and skilled workers from declining industry’s
What was the problem of Chartist membership
Hunger politics: where the economic climate dictates the political activeness of the people.
How did J.R. Stephens describe chartist membership
“ The Chartists were primarily a product of the economic climate and only sought political change to reduce economic suffering “
What were the 2 types of Chartists
Physical force
Moral force
Name 2 moral force Chartists
William Lovett
Thomas Attwood
Pamphlets and petitions
Name 3 Physical force Chartists
Fergus O’Connor
James O’Brien - Armed Revolution
George Harney - armed revolution
General strike.
When was the 1st chartist petition and how many signatures
May 1839
1,280,958 signatures
Who and when wrote the Rights of man
1792 publication of the rights of man by Thomas Paine
What effect did the 1833 factory act have
The act felt to benefit the newly enfranchised middle classes, as they failed to offer adequate working conditions or maximum working day for those outside textile industry
Where did the Chartists meet to discuss methods to achieve their aims
1839 Chartism national convention winter 1839
How many signatures did the 2nd chartist petition get
1842 3 million signatures however rejected with an increase margin of 43
What occurred on the 10th April 1848
1848 The Kennington Common Rally and 3rd chartist petition was presented to parliament with a massive 5 million signatures
however more than half were deemed genuine therefore it was rejected.
why was leadership a reason for the failure of Chartism
Leaders like Feargus O’Connor was a charismatic leader who could get people onboard however not an effective lead to maintain Chartism especially after the 1st petition
Why were aims a reason for Chartist faliure
The aims of the Chartists were very ambitious for the mid 1800s and perhaps a little head of their time.
in a period which had only reluctantly grated the vote to a modest number of propertied and respectable members of society, the idea that only a few years after this British establishment would grant more power
moreover when the peoples charter was drawn up it was said to give women the vote however this was scrapped as it was seen as too radical.
Why was different methods of achieving aims a failure of the chartistsw
Many of the middle class attendees were put of by the talk of physical force Chartists and actually resigned before any action was taken.
why were Hunger politics a reason for Chartist falilure
More people would be inclined to join the chartist during times of economic downturn however when conditions stabilised many left and abandoned the movement until conditions eventually worsened
What did government Legislation at the time of the Chartists do to the movement
Government had spies and agents, however they also passed legislation which undermined the Chartists by improving the conditions of those who supported them 1847 Ten hours act and 1846 Corn Laws Repealed. this reduced many sources of working class discontent.
how did government determination cause Chartism to fail
The reaction to the Peterloo Massacre in 1819 showed the lengths to which the government would go to preserve order
1830s and 40s successive government were happy to deploy troops against any threat, made easier with growing railway network.
in 1848 the third petition was presented the government drafted 8000 soldiers and 150,000 special constables to prevent disorder.
Change and continuity post-reform Britain
the newly enfranchised middle class solidified the political elites position, destroyed any alliance between the working class and middle class corruption was still widely practiced, no secret ballot so intimidation was still present
The most notable change was more people could now vote and to vote you must register post 1832.
which political clubs started to gain support
Tory Leading Carlton Club
Whig Sponsored reform club
these were established to achieve this and in the bigger constituencies local party activist started to appear as part of a general election effort to raise profile or their respective parties.
after 1832 the parties became more polarised
what was the Municipal corporations Act
the 1835 Municipal corporations Act changed the way local town councils were run. Pre 1835 thsese bodies were self elected and accountable to no one
after 1835 they became elected, all male rate payers were able to vote for the council.
who became leader of the conservatives after loss in 1832
Robert Peel became leader in 1834
after 1850 what were the Whigs called
The liberal, this also reflected the 2 party’s views, conservatives and liberals.
how much were the conservatives in office for between 1832 and 1852
only 7 years
population changes 1821 - 1861
1821 - 24 million
1861 - 31 million
Lord Russel 1852 Bill
1852 Lord Russel proposed to reduce £10 to £6 qualification.
this would mean that too many of the working class to vote which would mean the liberals would gain more support.
What was the effect of the American Civil War
since 1825 cotton had been Britain’s biggest import, Lancashire provided work for 355,000 people within the cotton industry.
during the civil war the republican blockade stopped cotton being imported
Chancellor of Exchequer William Gladstone visited Lancashire and was impressed by the textile workers self control, this convinced him that they were ready for the vote.
How did Lord Parlmeston refer to the the lower classes
Residuum- a term referencing the substance that is left behind after processing
what was the ‘national Reform Union’
this sought to extend the franchise to all male ratepayers, promote equal distributions of seats and a secret ballot
membership was liberal minded employer like Samuel Morley a woollen manufacture.
this was a respectable lobby group which was able to demand the attention of those in power
What was the Reform League
this was a more radical than the union, campaigning instead for universal manhood suffrage and secrete ballot
Violent action would only promote violent response.
What was Gladstone’s 1866 reform bill
Wanted to enfranchise more than 200,000 skilled workers ins boroughs and 170,000 workers in counties.
his was promptly shut down as it would benefit the Liberals massively.
what were the Hyde Park Riots
in 1866 following the failure of the 1866 reform bill the reform league resolved to hold a political meeting in Hyde park on 23rd July.
the meeting was declared illegal by the home secretary, the Park was cornered of by the police and the gates chained.
people within the park swung on the chains until they gave way
role of Benjamin Disraeli in the passing of the 2nd reform act 1867
New Chancellor of the Exchequer, Disraeli evidenced a keen appreciation for manipulating an opportunity for him.
political success was more important than the final shape of the bill.
in compromising the principles of the Conservative party, Disraeli was in one sense recognising the political animal that the British public had become and in another way was seeking to harness that emotion for the benefit of modern conservatism.
provisions of the 2nd Great Reform act 1867
45 seats taken from boroughs with less than 10,000 people
25 of those seats went to the counteis,20 went to new boroughs, six existing boroughs gained an extra and one was reserved for the university of London
boroughs all male householders who occupied property worth £10 for 1 year
in counties male householders of £5
2.46 million people could now vote
aftermath of 2nd great reform act
in 1868 despite enfranchising more than 1 million of the working class, the conservatives lost the next general election and disapproved Disraeli’s own rationale for reform.
the newly enfranchised were going to vote rationally not for a party who is not going to represent them.
what is old corruption and why were these failings of reform
large areas in the Midlands and North were still underrepresented
southern counties over represented
property still determined the franchise in counties
boroughs 1 year clause prevented 30% of working class population from voting
seats reserved for university’s.
