Impact of the great reform act 1832

Question 1

Impacts on the franchise

Answer 1

• in boroughs - adult males owning or occupying property worth £10 a year in rent
• in counties - adult males owning property worth £2 a year
• adult males renting land worth £50 a year
• nearly 1/5 men enfranchised

Question 2

Impacts on redistribution of seats

Answer 2

• 56 rotten and pocket boroughs lost both MPs
• 14 new boroughs with 2 MPs created in northern industrial towns and London
• 18 English seats transferred to Scotland, Wales and Ireland

Question 3

Limitations of the act on the franchise

Answer 3

• ownership of property still basis of franchise
• less than 1/5 men enfranchised
• still no votes for women

Question 4

Limitations of the act on redistribution of seats

Answer 4

• landed class still dominated parliament
• no secret ballot
• no payment for MPs
• rural south still overrepresented

Question 5

Impact on the crown/house of lords

Answer 5

• more difficult for king to use patronage to maintain a gov
• 1834 Edward IV dismissed whig gov and asked Robert Peel to form new gov
• Peel unable to command majority in commons so whigs invited back
• commons became more influential as it could exert growing influence on king and HoL

Question 6

Importance of the 1832 reform act

Answer 6

• paved way to ‘full democracy’
• more parliamentary reform followed
• attacked corruptions of old system
• reduced power of crown and lords

Question 7

Emergence of the conservatives

Answer 7

• 1834, Peel introduced the Tamworth Manifesto
• attempted to show newly enfranchised m/c that the tories had moved on
• no longer backward-looking
• the term conservative adopted as Peel promised to conserve the nations institutions

Question 8

Lichfield house compact

Answer 8

• Whigs formed a coalition with Irish Catholic MPs
• agreed to unite and defeat the conservatives in parliament

Question 9

The formation of the liberal party

Answer 9

• Peel and conservatives returned to power in 1841
• 1846, Peel introduced a bill for the repeal of the corn laws
• split the conservtive party - bill passed due to whig support
• Peelites moved towards the whigs and helped create the liberal party