Growth of Parliamentary Democracy Flashcards
What was patronage? How did it affect the House of Commons?
Peers sponsoring MPs, in 1761 111 new MPs financed by 55 peers, in 1801, half of 658 MPs sponsored by peers
Meant that peers could bribe/threaten MPs so corruption was introduced
What were the pre-reform franchise qualifications?
Counties: freeholder owner property worth £2/year
Boroughs: corporation (councillors); freemen; scot and lot (paid poor rates); burgage (type of rent); potwalloper (hearth size); freemen
What did John Cartwright setup in 1780? What did it do?
London Society for Constitutional Information
Call for reform, lasted 3 years
What did PM Pitt propose in 1785?
Disenfranchising 36 rotten boroughs
How was the British constitution different from the US constitution?
Was not written down or codified, so was more flexible: allowing for political change as well as corruption
How did the French Revolution impact Britain in terms of parliamentary democracy?
Some questioned Britain’s ‘rule by the rich’ model. Others defended Britain’s system which seemed to work well
What did Edmund Burke publish in 1780?
‘Reflections on the Revolution in France’
How did Thomas Paine respond to Edmund Burke? To what success?
Publishing the ‘Rights of Man’
Sold 200,000 copies within a year of its publication
What societies were setup in the early 1790s?
Sheffield Society for Constitutional Information 1791
London Corresponding Society 1792
How active were reform societies in the early 1790s?
Sheffield Society collect 10,000 signatures on petition for universal manhood suffrage 1792
London Corresponding organise a demonstration at Copenhagen Fields, Manchester, where 100,000 visited 1795
What were the populations of Bedfordshire and Yorkshire in 1800? How does this show unequal representation?
Bedfordshire- 2000
Yorkshire- 20,000
Both sent two MPs to Westminster
How much was Gatton ‘bought’ for in 1801? Why?
£90,000, so that the ‘owner’ didn’t have to face opposition in election
What were the Corn Laws? When were they passed?
1815- Restricted import of grain, to increase domestic prices for improved competition (raised price of bread)
Which MPs brought up issue of political reform in 1807?
William Cobbett and Sir Francis Burdett
By how much did the middle class population grow between 1816-1831?
160,000-214,000 increase of 1/3
What did William Cobbett publish in 1816?
‘Cobbett’s Political Register’- used to inspire call for reform
When were the Spa Fields, Islington riots?
1816
What/when was the March of the Blanketeers?
1817- 5000 weavers planned to walk to London (from Manchester) to petition to parliament for reform. Made it to Stockport (about 10 miles from Manchester)
Why was Jeremiah Brandreth sent to the gallows in 1817?
He attempted to form a rebellion in Derbyshire
What was the Peterloo massacre?
A demonstration of 60,000 to listen to Henry Hunt at Peter’s Fields, Manchester. Stopped by yeomanry and 18 people killed, plus a further 400 wounded
What legislation followed the Peterloo massacre?
the Six Acts: banned meetings of 50+, included harsh punishments (eg death for sedition), gave magistrates more power and protection etc
What was the Cato Street Conspiracy of 1820?
Under Arthur Thistlewood who was stirred up after Peterloo, a plan to assassinate cabinet members while they dined. They failed and were arrested at their Cato Street headquarters
What were the economic improvements in the 1820s?
Food prices reduced by 1/3
GDP raised by 16.8%
How did economic prosperity impact the government in 1820s?
They were more relaxed eg. Henry Hunt released from prison in 1822
What did Lord John Russell attempt to pass through parliament in 1822?
The disenfranchising of 100 boroughs
What was made apparent in the 1826 election?
Division in the Tory party over the ‘Catholic Question’
What were the problems within the Tory party in the 1829s?
Lord Liverpool resigns in 1827
3 different leaders within 11 months of his resignation
The passing of Catholic Emancipation by Duke of Wellington splits party into ‘ultras’ and ‘liberals’
What was the Catholic Emancipation Act 1829?
Reduced restrictions imposed on Catholics by the Papist Act 1778
When was the Birmingham Political Union set up? What was it?
1829
Under Thomas Attwood, created to achieve greater representation for industrial centres, mainly to improve financial reforms
When were there particularly bad harvests in Britain? How did people show agitation?
1828-9- 200 petitions to government demanding tax reductions
Who leads the Whigs as they come to power in 1830?
Earl Grey
How did people show anger when the second reform bill was blocked by peers in 1831?
Riots in Bristol, (where within 3 days there were 130 casualties) Nottingham and Derby
How many people were unrepresented in Manchester and Birmingham before the reform act?
Birmingham pop- 144,000
Manchester pop- 182,000
Both had no MPs
What were the ‘Days of May’?
In anger, the public withdrew £1.8 million from banks within 10 days when the Duke of Wellington attempted to form an administration
What were the provisions of the Great Reform Act 1832?
56 boroughs disenfranchised 42 new boroughs created Scotland got 8 more seats, Ireland 5 Counties qualification extended to more adult males Borough qualifications made more uniform Voters had to be registered
By how much did the franchise increase after the Reform Act>?
From 366,000 to 650,000
From 11 to 18% of male adult population
How were the new MPs distributed across Britain? Was this good?
120 from north, 370 from south
More in the north would have been better- where industrial cities are densely populated
What political groups were formed in after Reform Act?
Carlton Club (Tory) Reform Club (Whig) That aimed to improve organisation and effectiveness of both parties
When was the London Working Men’s Association formed? Who was in it?
1836
Henry Heathrington and Thomas Attwood
When did Chartism start?
From London Working Men’s Association, with the publication of the People’s Charter in 1838
What were the Chartists’ Six Points?
Universal male suffrage (over 21s); secret ballot; no property qualification for MPs; payment for MPs; annual parliaments; equal representation
How many signatures did the first Chartist petition get?
1,280,000 (1839)
What was the ‘Sacred Month’?
4 weeks of strikes, protests and meetings
When was the Newport Rising?
1839- part of ‘Sacred Month’
What happened during the Newport Rising?
5000 miners rose up outside of Westgate Hotel in Newport, Wales where clashes with troops resulted in the death of 21 men, led by John Frost
How many Chartists were held in prison between 1839-41?
500
What was the Land Plan?
1845 Fergus O’Connor wanted to give working class families opportunity to own land, set up communities in rural areas
When was the Second Chartist petition presented? How many signatures did it have?
1842- 3 million signatures
When were the repeal of the Corn Laws?
1846
How successful was the Land Plan by 1848?
Had 70,000 members within 200 communities
What was the Kennington Common rally?
Demonstration with 50,000 (and 150,000 special constables) to see O’Connor present the third Chartist petition to parliament
How many signatures did the third Chartist petition have?
5 million, although over half were said to be fake
Which of the Chartists’ Six Points was passed in 1858?
The abolition of property qualification for MPs
When was the ‘Cotton Famine’?
1861
Why does Gladstone start fighting for reform?
He visits Lancashire during cotton famine, sees workers ready for the vote
Death of anti-reform PM Lord Palmerston 1865
When were the Reform Union and Reform Leagues formed?
1864 and 1865
What were the differences between the Reform Union and Reform League?
Union- middle class (Samuel Morely MP) wanted to extend franchise to all male rate payers; equal representation; secret ballot
League- working class (ex-Chartists) wanted universal male suffrage and a secret ballot (more radical)
What were the Hyde Park riots?
In 1866, following failed reform by Gladstone, protesters wanted to meet in Hyde Park to demonstrate, meeting was declared illegal, but was carried out anyway
What was Disraeli’s role in the Second Reform Act?
Persevered through resignation of 3 cabinet colleagues, and was pragmatic in his approach (not as radical as Gladstone’s suggestions)
What were the provisions of the Second Reform Act?
7 boroughs disenfranchised, 45 seats taken from boroughs with under 10,000 people and redistributed (25 to counties, 20 to boroughs), 6 boroughs got an extra seat, franchise extended
How many could vote after Disraeli’s reform act passed?
2.4 million
