Growth of Parliamentary Democracy Flashcards
What was the qualification to be an MP in a county and when was it set
property worth over £2 set in 1430
What are the two examples of counties to show the poor system
Bedfordshire 2000 people and York 20000 people but both 2 MPs in 1800
What were Boroughs
Urban towns which had 2 MPs and differing franchise qualifications
Corporation Borough
Only members of the town council could vote
Freemen
Anyone with this status could vote, could be inherited, bestowed or obtained through wedlock
Scot and Lot
Anyone who paid poor rates could vote
Burgage
Ancient form of rent put on property in a borough which would warrant a vote
Potwalloper
Householders with a hearth big enough to boil a pot
Freeholder
The same as county system
What did the lack of a secret ballot mean
votes could be publicly viewed which allowed for intimidation and bribery to sway the votes - corruption
Pocket Borough
A smaller borough that would be controlled by the wealthy landlords as they would be MPs due to corruption
What happened to the Pocket borough Gatton in Surrey in 1801
It was effectively bought for £90,000 through bribery so the owner wouldn’t have to stand in election
Rotten Borough
Boroughs that weren’t as important or large as they once were due to the outdated selection system so were very unrepresentative
Best example of a Rotten Borough in he late 1700s
Dulwich with 2 MPs and 14 voters
Best exampled of a non borough extremely unrepresented in 1831
Manchester with no MPs but 182,000 people
What society was formed in 1780 focused on raising public awareness for reform
London-based Society for constitutional information
Gordon Riots
Anti catholic riots in 1780 as a result of the papist act 1778 in
why wasn’t the London based society for constitutional information successful
- Parliamentary reform wasn’t popular with anyone in 1780
- Gordon Riots turned propertied classes away from supporting them
When was the French Revolution and why was it significant
1789 caused criticism of British parliamentary model which scared the ruling classes into taking a harder opposition against reform as they saw it as revolutionary
Who wrote reflections on the revolutions in France and when
Edmund Burke 1790
What did Burke argue
That the violence in France was a result of sudden political change and thus the British system was in no need of change based on good traditions putting the smartest in charge
What was the response to Burkes book in 1792
Thomas Paine rights of man which influenced by the French Revolution emphasised the natural rights of human beings and the corruption in Britain
How many copies did Rights of Man sell by 1793
200,000 in Britain
When did the new French Republic declare war on Britain
1793
How many people were at the Copenhagen fields demonstration in 1795
100,000 people
Which two associations in 1790s wrote reform focused political pamphlets
Sheffield society for constitutional information
London corresponding society
What was the Treason Act and when
1795 introduced the death penalty for treason such as political meetings
Why did the end of the Napoleonic wars in 1815 cause reform demands to re-emerge
400,000 soldiers returned looking for work which decreased wages, also a failed harvest in 1816
What was the March of the blanketers in 1816
Weavers in Manchester marched to London and rioted in islington
Who started the Pentrich rising and when
Jeremiah Brandreth in 1817
What were the events of the peterloo massacre in 1819
60,000 people attended political rally with Henry hunt speaking, 18 people killed and 400 wounded
How did the Government react to the Peterloo massacre
Passed the six acts which included death penalty for sedition and banned meetings of over 50 people
What was the impact of the riots in the early 1800s on support for reform
deterred conservative middle class away from reform for fear of arrest by government
What was the Cato street conspiracy and when
1820 some radicals plotted to assassinate the cabinet
What are the statistics for trade improving in the 1820s
GNP grew by 16.8%
why did the 1820s boom mean reform had more support
Increased the amount of middle class people who became politically aware of the unfair system and amount of people living in industrial towns who had no representation
What happened in 1828/9 that caused rural unrest
poor harvests and mechanisation
What did Thomas Atwood establish in 1829
Birmingham Politcal Union
why was the BPU significant
Combined Working and middle classes to form a respectable campaign to achieve urban representation
What were the four main causes of the 1832 Reform Act
- Government Issues
- Outdated political structure
- Economic , middle class
- Riots
How did Wellington divide the tory party
He supported catholic emancipation act in 1829 which split in the party between ultras and liberals
what were the 1691 penal laws
stated that Catholics couldn’t sit on parliament
When did lord Liverpool resign and why
1827 from a stroke
What happened after Lord Liverpool resigned
The party became more divided as a power vacuum ensued and they had 3 leaders in 11 months
Why were there initial divisions in the tory party
foreign secretary George canning and home Robert peel disagreed along with the rest of the party on catholic emancipation to rid the penal laws
What happened in the 1830 election
Whigs gained office and were more reform focused with Earl Grey
Why did the middle class become more politically important
They were growing in size and becoming very wealthy from industrialisation so government had to recognise and respect their economic importance
Why were the middle class more of a challenge to authorities
They presented a reasoned and well educated opposition that also had good funding, couldn’t be easily subdued with force
What happened to the first and second reform bills
They were both blocked by the House of Lords
Where did the most serious rioting break out after the rejection of the second reform bill
Bristol where there was 3 days of rioting and 140 killed
what happened after rejection of the third reform bill in the house of lords
Earl grey asked for the king to grant him 50 new peers to get the big through the House of Lords but this was rejected so earl grey resigned
explain the days of may step by step
- Wellington formed a new tory government
- Middle class withdrew £1.8million from banks in ten days to destroy government finances
- Wellington couldn’t form a government with the whole country against him so the king granted Earl Grey his fifty new peers
When was the great reform act passed
June 1832
Provisions of the great reform act
- 56 boroughs were disenfranchised
- 42 new borough constituencies
- scotland and ireland recieved more seats
- Vote was extended to many middle class men men with proper worth £10 a year
significance of the great reform act
- electorate rose from 366,000 to 650,000, 18% of the population could now vote
- removed obvious issues but still preserved the old system
- 370 MPs in rural south but only 120 in industrial north
What did the failure of the great reform act cause
Discontent among the working class
What did the Factory Act 1833 and Poor law 1834 do
benefitted the middle class and ignored or worsened conditions for the working class
What was founded in 1836 by William Lovett, Thomas Atwood and Henry Hetherington that began chartism
The London Working Mens Association
What were the six points on the peoples charter in 1838
- Wage for MPs
- Secret ballot
- Equal representation
- Annual Parliaments
- Removal of property qualifications for MPs
- Universal suffrage for men over 21
What was Chartism’s membership like
Majority were working class men in declining industries looking for economic protection, also a large amount of middle class reformers
When was the first national convention
1839, chartists were divided over their plan of action
Moral force
William lovett and Thomas Atwood both believed in peaceful protest like pamphlets and petitions to win favour among the higher classes and middle class electorate by acting respectfully and reasonably
Physical force
Feargus O Connor and James Bronterre Obrien advocated for strike action and armed revolution
How many signatures did the first petition in 1839 have that was rejected
1.2 million
Sacred Month
Rejection of the first petition caused widespread strikes and protest meeting which became violent.
What was the most notable event in the sacred month
Newport rising in which 5000 miners clashed with troops which left 20 chartists dead
What was the aftermath of the Newport rising
500 Chartist leaders were arrested and imprisoned between 1839 and 1841, this parlayed chartism
How many signatures did the second petition have in 1842 after the chartist returned to peaceful means
3 million
What was the impact of the second rejection
Moral force began to dissolve, and caused the plug plot riots which had striking and workers removing plugs from machinery in cotton mills
The Land plan in 1845
70,000 people payed £100,000 to buy an area so that working class people could live in a rural community and meet voting requirements, however it was a disaster and the scheme went bankrupt
Why did Chartism reignite in 1848
Another French Revolution caused cries for democracy to be reignited and heard by many
How did the ambitious demands cause chartists to fail
feargus o Connor land plan was very ambitious and demanding the vote for all males when only 18% could vote was very ambitious when parliament was so outwardly against reform
How did SocioEconomic issues cause Chartists to fail
Hunger politics - support for chartism only came during times of economic hardship as the motive for working class was more economic than political, socially the membership was divided between middle and working class as they had different views on what to do
How did the lack of effective leadership cause chartism to fail
No clear leader from the beginning meant that the movement was very divided and never acted in complete unison, feargus o Connor was a terrible leader
How did government legislation cause chartism to fail
legislation like ten hour act and corn law repeal worked to undermine the chartists by improving working class conditions slightly to turn them away from the need for reform
–> inadvertently helped Chartist caused as they improved conditions
How did Government determination against reform cause chartism to fail
Appointment of Charles Napier as general of the army in the north to be able to surpress any discontent quickly, 8000 soldiers at Kennington rally, response to Newport all show the government acted quickly and forcefully against the chartists every time
What was the chartists last attempt in 1848
Kennington common rally which was a huge demonstration which then had a petition with 5.75 million signatures presented but was rejected ad over half were fake
What destroyed O Connors credibility
Assaulted several MPs and the committed to an insane asylum, forging signatures, failed land plan
How did the 1830s reform enforce continuity in Britain
It united the propertied classes middle and higher against the working class which maintained many of the old systems and structures
How did the 1830s reform cause change in Britain
More political clubs and activists, more interest in politics, two party system with whigs and tories becoming more polarised with different views
1835 Municipal Corporations Act
Changed local town councils into being elected and extended the franchise in local elections to all male ratepayers
What other two acts in 1830s showed a larger tendency towards reform
Poor law and Abolition of the slave trade
What did Joseph Hume do from 1848 to 1852
presented a reform bill at every session of parliament
How much did the population grow by from 1821 to 1861
7 million
Why was population growth significant for reform
majority of growing population lived in towns and cities and were working class so couldn’t vote, increased amount of people advocating for reform
What reform efforts were made in 1852
Lord Russell attempted to reduce borough qualifications from £10 to £6, was rejected as conservatives feared the presence of the working influencing politics
What did MP John Bright do
gave public speeches on the rights of the working class from 1858-60, also founded the anti corn law league in 1839
–> didn’t achieve any significant change
How many people did the Northern textile industry provide work for
355,000 people
How did the US civil war in 1861 help with reform ideas
Many people were laid off as there was no supply of cotton so no work to do, Gladstone visited during this time and was impressed with the resolve of the workers and convinced of the working class readiness to vote, broadened the mind of those in power
When was reform union formed
1864
who formed the reform union and why was it respectable
Samuel Morley who was a middle class wool manufacturer, he was an MP so the union had a respectable level of influence
What were the aims of the reform league
- extend franchise to all male ratepayers
- secret ballot
- equal distribution of seats
how many branches did the reform union have in 1867
150
when was the reform league established
1865
Who was the president on the reform league
Edmund Beale
What was the reform unions method
politcal lobbying
what were the reform leagues aims
- Universal suffrage
- secret ballot
what were the reform leagues methods
more radical so took part in demonstrations imposing political pressure on government and had more working class widespread support, a respectable working class was important to gaining government support
What significant event in 1865 caused reform to become very prominent
Anti reform prime minister Palmerston died and reform focused Lord Russell came back into office.
What were the conditions in Gladstone’s cautious reform bill in 1865
- Borough franchise requirement to become £7 a year
- Counties £50 year rental qualification reduced to £14 year
These hoped to register 370,000 new voters who Gladstone envisaged would all be liberal voters not conservative. Was rejected by conservatives and some liberals
Adullamites
Biblically inspired label for those in the liberal party who disliked Gladstone’s Reform Proposals
What did Gladstone’s Bill expose in the liberal party
deep rooted division between adullamites who were the older whigs and the newer more liberal MPs who were leaders of commerce and more radical reformers
What was the attempt to dilute Gladstone’s Bill
An Amendment which reduced the number of enfranchised men, caused Lord Russell to resign
Who was the Barrister starkly against Gladstone’s Bill
Robert Lowe
What and When was The Hyde Park Riots
1866 The Reform league staged a meeting in Hyde Park which was declared illegal so police attempted to close down the meeting which began rioting
Who was the Tory Party’s Chancellor of the Exchequer
Benjamin Disraeli
How did Disraeli capitalise on the failure of Gladstone’s Bill
He used all the political momentum for reform and passed his own bill in 1867, this was a less progressive bill that over parliamentary debate became more radical
Why did Disraeli pass the bill in 1867
He proposed a bill with the hopes it would manage to get passed in order to ensure political success for the conservatives for years to come if he could pass the bill, even though it went against their own ideology
Who became PM after Lord Russell resigned
Conservatives with Lord Digby
What were the Provisions of the second reform act
- 45 seats taken from boroughs with 10,000 or less people and redistributed
- Franchise in boroughs included all male householders who had lived there for a year
- In counties all owners of land worth £5 a year
What happened in 1868 straight after the bill
The conservatives lost the next general election, so Disraelis plan failed
What were the Positive impacts of the second reform act
- Over 2.46 million voters, over 1/3 of men could vote
- Secured importance of parties campaigning to obtain votes, making them more representative of the public
- Vote included many of the skilled urban working class
- Many more seats obtained by the larger Northern cities
What were the Negative impacts of the second reform act
- Counties were still imbalanced with some small wealthy ones in the south holding too much power
- clause of holding property for 1 year discriminated 30% of the working class
- system of plural voting gave more voting power to the rich
