Impact of 1832 Reform Act Flashcards
How many boroughs in England and Wales were disenfranchised as a result of the Reform Act 1832?
56
How many boroughs lost 1 of their 2 MPs as a result of the Reform Act 1832?
30
How many extra seats did Scotland receive as a result of the Reform Act 1832?
8
How many extra seats did Ireland receive as a result of the Reform Act 1832?
5
What happened to the counties as a result of the Reform Act 1832?
Vote was given to adult males owning copyhold land worth £10/year or rented land worth £50/year as well as the 40 shilling freeholders
How was the vote extended in the boroughs as a result of the Reform Act 1832?
Vote was given to all adult males owning or renting property worth £10/year
What other reform measure in 1832 became important to the development of the party system?
Voter registration
How large was the electorate after 1832?
650,000
What percentage of the population could vote after 1832?
18%
After 1832 how many MPs came from the south of England compared with the north?
370 in the south while 120 in the north
Apart from Earl Grey, who as Home Secretary was responsible for the 1832 Reform Act?
Lord Russell
How many new boroughs were created as a result of the 1832 Reform Act? Give one example.
42, Birmingham with 2 MPs
Why did the landed gentry still dominate despite the 1832 Reform Act? Give 2 reasons.
Redistribution of seats to the counties from some rotten boroughs, voting sill in public so bribery and corruption continued, class composition of Commons did not alter
Which class of people gained from the 1832 Reform Act?
Middle-class
Which class of people were still disenfranchised from the 1832 Reform Act?
Working/labouring classes
What were the ‘Days of May’?
Government crisis May 1832 e.g. middle-class withdraw money, Grey’s resignation Wellington unable to form a government, threat to create 50 peers
Why didn’t people register as voters after 1832?
Cost a shilling to register and many didn’t want to pay
After the failure of the working-class to gain the vote in 1832 what movement were they concerned with in the short-term?
Anti-Poor Law League
After the failure of the working-class to gain the vote in 1832 what movement were they concerned with in the long-term?
Chartism
What movement did middle-class people become associated with after gaining the vote in 1832?
Anti-Corn Law movement
How much did the electorate increase?
366,000 to 650,000 - 18% of adult male population
What was clarified in the statute?
Voting had to be restricted to men only
What did voters have to do?
Register
What happened to previously unrepresented towns/cities?
Now represented e.g. Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds
What happened to the nation states?
. More represented
. Scotland got 8 extra seats
. Ireland got 5 extra seats
. Still proportionately fewer voters than in England
Borough vs county gains
County seats gains outnumbered borough seats
Who were the majority of new voters in the counties?
Tenant farmers
Who were the majority of new voters in the boroughs?
Shop keepers and clerks
And did boroughs and counties remain?
Distant from each other
What did county seats increase from?
From 92 to 159
In counties who got the vote regarding land ownership?
. Males owning freehold property worth £2/year
. Males owning copyhold land worth £10/year
. Males renting land worth £50/year
Borough vote regarding property
Now uniform for adult males owning/renting property worth £10/year provided not in receipt of poor relief and up to date with taxes
What did 1832 not introduce?
A secret ballot
What was it harder to do and why?
Bribe people due to the bigger electorate
Who did 1832 negatively impact?
Women - some lost the right to vote
What type of borough was remove and what did this mean?
Potwolloper - some workers lost the vote
