Parliamentary Democracy 1832-1870

Question 1

What movement arose after the 1832 reform Act?

Answer 1

Chartism

Question 2

What was held in London in 1839? what did it establish?

Answer 2

The first National Convention of Chartists differences between moral and physical force chartists

Question 3

By how many votes was the first Chartist petition defeated? why was this?

Answer 3

189 votes - lack of violent insurrection to draw the movement into focus

Question 4

What happened after the rejection of the first petition?

Answer 4

the ‘sacred month’ - general strike and protest - includes Newport rising

Question 5

How many chartist leaders were held in prison between 1839 and 1841?

Answer 5

500 - led to a return to more moderate methods eg) second petition

Question 6

When was Fergus O’Connor’s Land Plan set up?

Answer 6

1845

Question 7

What coincided with the 3rd chartist movement in 1848?

Answer 7

the 1848 revolutions in Europe

Question 8

How did poor leadership result in the the failure of chartism?

Answer 8

Moral force vs Physical force

Neport rising - 3 leaders

Question 9

How did their aims cause Chartist failure?

Answer 9

the people’s charter was ahead of it’s time, too radical for a parliament who had only just, and reluctantly, extended the vote to 18% of the male population

Question 10

How did government legislation lead to chartist failure?

Answer 10

undermined chartist strength
1847 - Ten Hours Act - appeased many chartist followers
1846 - repeal of Corn Laws

Question 11

Who was charged in the 1830s/40s with checking chartist activity in the north of England, and what development helped him?

Answer 11

Charles Napier, The Railway Network

Question 12

What was firmly established after 1832?

Answer 12

The Two Party system

Question 13

What were the provisions of the 1835 Municipal Corporations Act in 1835?

Answer 13

dissolved existing corporations

extended votes for local governance to all male ratepayers

Question 14

When did Robert Peel make the Tory party the ‘Conservatives’?

Answer 14

1834

Question 15

by how much did Britain’s population increase between 1821 and 1861?

Answer 15

7 million

Question 16

What did Lord Russel propose in 1852? what following years did he present the same bill to no avail?

Answer 16

decreasing the property qualifications in boroughs from £10 to £6, 1854 and 1860

Question 17

What was the Tory proposal in 1859 and why?

Answer 17

to extend the existing borough franchise to the counties - counties were traditionally conservative so ensured them electoral success, decreased furthering the partisan in parliament

Question 18

What was passed in 1858?

Answer 18

the abolition of property qualifications for MPs

Question 19

Who founded the Anti - Corn Law League in 1839?

Answer 19

Richard Cobden and John Bright

Question 20

Who began a tour in 1858 promoting democratic rights?

Answer 20

Birmingham MP John Bright

Question 21

What between 1861 and 1865 caused changing attitudes to the working classes

Answer 21

The American Civil War - Republican north blockaded the Confederate ports, causing a cotton famine in Lancashire where 355,000 people were employed in textiles 
Working class stoicism impressed Gladstone and other MPs

Question 22

What middle class group was formed in 1864, and what were their aims?

Answer 22

The Reform Union - secret ballot, enfranchise all rate payers, equal distribution of seats

Question 23

What was the general membership of the National Reform Union?

Answer 23

liberal minded middle class, eg) Samuel Morely

Question 24

What working class group was founded in 1865 and what were their aims?

Answer 24

Reform League - campaigned for universal manhood suffrage and a secret ballot

Question 25

What was the general membership of the Reform League like?

Answer 25

ex- chartists, trade unionists - retained a more moderate stance though peaceful protest and negotiation

Question 26

Which reformer gained power after the death of Lord Palmerston in 1865

Answer 26

Earl John Russel

Question 27

What was included in Gladstones reform bill in 1866?

Answer 27

• reduce the property qualification to £7 a year enfranchise 200,000 artisan (liberal voting) workers
• counties £50 rental —–> £14 to encourage 170,000 potential liberal voters

Question 28

Who rejected Gladstone’s bill in 1866?

Answer 28

conservative elements within the liberal party and conservatives who didn’t want the liberals to gain electoral success

Question 29

who were the Adullamites in 1866?

Answer 29

anti reform liberals

Question 30

how did the liberal party become divided following on from the failure of Gladstone’s bill?

Answer 30

opponents diluted the bill to reduce the number enfranchised, Lord Russel resigned, the Conservatives were invited to form a minority Government

Question 31

Who became Chancellor of Exchequer in 1867?

Answer 31

Benjamin Disraeli

Question 32

Why was Disraeli keen to pass reform?

Answer 32

to ensure political success for the conservative party

Question 33

What were the provisions of the second reform act?

Answer 33

45 seats were taken from boroughs with less than 10,000 people, 7 were completey disenfranchised
25 seats went to counties, 20 to new boroughs, 6 existing boroughs got an extra seat
all male householders or lodgers who occupied property worth £10 for at least 1 year
leaseholders of land worth £5 a year

Question 34

What was the immediate impact of the 2nd reform act?

Answer 34

electoral defeat for Disraeli in 1868

2.46 million voters - reduced corruption, increased campaigning

Question 35

What was the long term impact of the 1867 act

Answer 35

electorate was largely middle class conservative 
still the north was over represented compared to the south