Growth of Parliamentary Democracy, 1785-1870 Flashcards

1
Q

What percentage of the population could vote prior to 1832

A

roughly 5%.

In 1831, 400,000 had the right to vote out of a population of 13.89 million

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2
Q

What was Lancashire’s population, and how many MPs did they have

A

1.3 million and 14 MPs

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3
Q

What was Cornwall’s population, and how many MPs did they have

A

300,000 and 42 MPs

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4
Q

Which PM first proposed some reform

A

William Pitt, proposing to disenfranchise 36 of the worst boroughs and redistribute their seats to larger counties.

Defeated by 74 votes in the Commons

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5
Q

Which societies called for reform in the late 1700s

A

London Corresponding Society and the Sheffield Society for Constitutional Information

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6
Q

How large was the London Corresponding Society

A

Founder claimed 5000 members, closer to 1000

October 1795, demonstration in Copenhagen fields attracted over 100,000 people

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7
Q

How many copies did Paine’s ‘Rights of Man’ sell and what did he argue?

A

Sold 200,000 copies by 1793

Response to Burke’s “Reflections on the Revolutions in France”. Questioned the nobility and church.

Charged with treason in 1792, fled to France

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8
Q

How many troops returned home after the Napoleonic Wars

A

400,000

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9
Q

How many seats in elections were uncontested prior to 1832

A

2/3

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10
Q

What did the 1815 Corn Law do

A

Put tariffs on foreign imports of ‘corn’ (cereals), tariff was 10 shillings per bushel

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11
Q

Which anti-reform laws did William Pitt pass to crush radicalism

A

1794, Habeas Corpus suspended

December 1795, ‘Two Acts’ expanded the law of treason

1799 and 1800 Combination Acts

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12
Q

What were ‘Church and King’ clubs?

A

Loyalist groups which used violence and intimidation to crush threats

Birmingham (1791) and Manchester (1792), they attacked dissenters and reformers

1000s of Loyalist groups by 1793

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13
Q

What was the largest loyalist group in the late 18th century

A

Association for Preserving Liberty and Property against Republicans and Levellers (APLP)

2000 branches nationwide

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14
Q

Who were the ‘Volunteers’ and what did they do

A

From 1794, a paramilitary force to keep order during wars against the French.

By 1804, 450,000 members

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15
Q

When and what was the Peterloo Massacre

A

1819, Henry Hunt did a speech to 60000 people to demand universal suffrage.

Yeomanry sent to arrest him, but were swamped by crowd. 15th Hussars sent to rescue them and killed 11, wounding 400-600

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16
Q

What was the Cato Street Conspiracy

A

A plan in 1820 to assassinate Lord Liverpool’s cabinet, led by Arthur Thistlewood

This was stopped by Government spy George Edwards

17
Q

When did Lord Liverpool resign

A

1827, after 15 years of stable government

18
Q

How did the Duke of Wellington divide the Tory party

A

Alienated ‘Canningite’ faction by refusing to consider redistribution of seats, so they resigned from government

Angered the protestant ‘Ultras’ by supporting the Catholic Emancipation Act (1829), which allowed Catholics to become MPs. Wellington did this out of fear of civil war in Ireland

19
Q

How did the Whigs come into power in June 1830

A

General election following death of George IV

Lord Grey announced he’d support moderate reform and gained support of Canningites and Ultras

William IV thusly invites Earl Grey to form a new government

20
Q

When was there a depression in the 1820’s

A

1825-1826

21
Q

What was the size of the new electorate following the Great Reform Act (1832)

A

650,000 (18% of men)

Contested seats increased from 30% to 50%

22
Q

How many years were Tories in power from 1832 to 1852

A

7 years

23
Q

When were the Chartist petitions and how many signatures did they get

A

1839, 1.2 million signatures

1842, 3.3 million signatures

1848, 5.7 million signatures but 3.7 million were forged.

24
Q

What was the Newport Rising (1839)

A

3000 Chartists marched on Westgate Hotel to free 5 chartist prisoners. Soldiers read the riot act and open fired

20 dead, 50 wounded.

25
Q

What were the Plug Riots (1842)

A

Followed rejection of second petition, 500,000 go on strike, and removed plugs from factory boilers.

Peel arrests 1000 chartists. Govt. agreement to cancel wage reductions and good harvests lull protests.

26
Q

Why did the Complete Suffrage Union (Chartist organisation) fall out with the ACLL

A

CSU feared wage reductions under free trade, and thus fell out in 1842

The middle class also felt threatened by O’Connor and his mob threatening to destroy their property

27
Q

What did the National Reform Union want (1864)

A

sought to extend the franchise to include all male rate payers

28
Q

What did the Reform League want (1865)

A

universal suffrage for men and a secret ballot

29
Q

What happened during the Hyde Park Riots, 23 July, 1866

A

Reform League held a meeting to discuss future reform action

Declared illegal by Conservative home secretary, Spencer Walpole

200,000 people invaded the park, resulting in the police calling for military supports

30
Q

What was the PM Lord Palmerstone known for, and when did he die

A

Ignored calls for reform as he had focused on foreign policy.

Won another election in 1865 and then died, to be replaced by Earl Russell

31
Q

When was the first reform bill in the 1860’s introduced to parliament

A

Gladstone introduced a reform bill in 1866, reducing the required qualifications to vote

Opposed by Robert Lowe, also from the Liberal Party, who led the Adullamites

The bill was defeated and the government resigned

32
Q

How many voters were there after the Second Reform Act of 1867, and what were the requirements?

A

2.46 million voters, 1/3 of all men

Householders in the boroughs had to have lived there for a year and occupied property worth £10

In the counties, all owners or leaseholders of land worth £5 a year

33
Q

What book did Whig philosopher Edmund Burke write in 1790, and what did he argue

A

Reflections on the Revolution in France

Defended the status quo, arguing that moderate reform could lead to violent revolution

34
Q

Who set up the Birmingham Political Union, and how many attended the average rally

A

Thomas Atwood

100,000 people