Parliamentary Reform 1780-1829

Question 1

Dunning’s Motion 1780

Answer 1

-Reform increased due to conduct of the War of
American Independence and the increased taxes and the expenditures that accompanied it. Critics argued problems were caused by the power of the King and his ability to use patronage to achieve majority support in parliament regardless of people’s wishes.
- 1780 House of Commons debated and passed motion stating that “the power of the Crown has increased and ought to be diminish”
-MPs supporting this focused on criticism of the Prime Minister Lord North but this motion was a significant victory for those campaigning for parliamentary reform.

Question 2

Economical Reform 1780s

Answer 2

Name given to policy reducing royal patronage which followed Dunning’s motion.
Number of govt ministers and offices was reduced, saving money and limiting scope for patronage.

Question 3

Pitt’s proposed reforms 1785

Answer 3

Two years after the defeat in America the PM William Pitt proposed reform for parliament since people “were loud for a more equal representation”

• proposed to disenfranchise 36 of the worst rotten boroughs and redistribute 72 seats in London and the more highly populated counties.
• Bill failed to secure majority support and viewed as attack on property rights and was highly known that King opposed it.

Question 4

Radical demands 1789-1820

Answer 4

Tom Paine suggested manhood suffrage and was extremely critical of the inequalities of representation in the Rights of Man. Ideas taken on by LCS and other early radicals and re-emerged quickly after the war with France in the Hampden Clubs, newspapers and via Cobbett and Hunt.

Question 5

Middle-class support for reform

Answer 5

They shared conservative impulses and the fear of revolution of the upper class. didn’t want democracy or ‘mob rule’

• They resented their own disenfranchisement feeling that as respectable citizens, property owners and contributers they should be considered responsible and their views should be considered.
• Many lower middle class and those outside of the south supported parliamentary reform.
• newer middle classes (merchant, bankers, shopkeepers) wanted a say in govt and fairer distribution of seats to represent them in industrial districts and were driven to support parliamentary reform.

Question 6

The Whigs support

Answer 6

Traditionally more receptive to change than Tories and increasingly supportive of parliamentary reform. The unfairness of the unreformed system benefited the Tories, who monopolised the pocket boroughs and uncontested seats, and Whigs came to view parliamentary support as crucial

Question 7

Obstacles

Answer 7

King George IV was determined opponent to reform and Tories unlikely to agree to changes which were harmful to their own political prospects. Did agree to minor changes but these were an exception and viewed as a concession to strengthen their position against further reform.

Question 8

the 1820s

Answer 8

despite the unlikely coincidence of support from radicals, middle classes and Whigs, demands for reform died down in the 1820s as the economy improved. From 1924-1929 there was not a single petition for reform and those who supported reform had little hope for achieving it.