Parlimentary Democracy - 1785 - 1832 Flashcards
How was the franchise divided pre reform?
Counties and boroughs
What were the voting rules in counties
2 MPs to parliament
40 shilling freeholder could vote
No variance in size
What were the rules in Scottish counties?
£100 equivalents of 40 shillings
What were the 6 varieties in boroughs?
Scot and lot - could vote if paid poor rates
Corporation - only council
Freeman - status ( was hereditary or married in to)
Burgage - property owners of certain types of let could vote
Potwalloper - hearth big enough to boil a pot on
Freeholder
Name 4 issues with the pre reform franchise
No secret ballot
Pocket boroughs- controlled by a wealthy landowner to ensure a seat in Parliament
Rotten boroughs- not as important as once were eg) Old Sarum
Only 11% of pop could vote
What did William Pitt propose in 1785?
By how many votes was it defeated?
Disenfranchising 36 boroughs and redistributing seats to counties
74 votes
Why did many MPs object to reform?
Because they benefited from the system in place
What impact did the French Revolution (1789) have on the reform cause?
Reemergence of criticism regarding the British system
OR
why change a system that had worked for so long?
What did Edmund Burke publish in 1790 and what was it’s impact?
‘Reflections on revolution in France’
Argued that the non codified constitution had evolved over time, no need to be changed.
What did Thomas Paine publish in 1792 in response to Edmund Burke?
‘Rights of Man’
Condemned inequalities in the system
How many copies of ‘Rights of Man’ were sold within a year?
200,000
When were the Sheffield Society and The London Corresponding Societies founded?
1791/1792
How did the SS and the LCS spread their ideas?
Pamphlets
How many people attended the LCS Copenhagen field rally?
100,000
How many signatures did the SS petition for male suffrage gain?
10,000
What impact did the Napoleonic wars have of the reformist cause?
Reduced sympathy for French ideas of fraternity, egalitie and libertie
What Act in 1795 reduced public support for the cause?
Treason Act - death penalty for questioning the government
How many soldiers returned to the U.K. after the napoleonic wars?
400,000
What event in 1816 emphasised the rich/poor divide?
Poor harvest
What impact did speeches by Henry Hunt and the publication of newspapers like Cobbets Political Register have?
Spread political awareness
When did the Peterloo Massacre happen?
1819
What was The Peterloo Massacre?
60,000 people gathered for peaceful protest, sabre charged at by yeomanry killing 18 and wounding 400 +
What were the 6 acts?
Banned meeting of more than 50 “ “ military drilling “ “ seditious writing Increased stamp duty Increase magistrate power Sped up trials
By how much did GNP rise from 1821 to 1829?
16.8%
How much did manufacturing increase in the 1820s?
25%
What impact did increased prosperity have on the government?
Shift from reactionary to liberal
What did Lord Russel seek to do in 1822?
Disenfranchise 100 boroughs and redistribute seats to growing industrial cities- lost by a large majority
Why did discontent re-emerge in 1829
Poor harvests, increased food prices.
Swing riots
Who established the Birmingham political union in 1829?
Thomas Atwood
What was the aim of the BPU?
Achieve greater representation for urban areas
Who became PM in 1812?
Lord Liverpool
Who was for Catholic Emancipation?
Canning
Who was against CE?
Peel
Which MP kept the tories together?
Liverpool
What was the impact of Liverpool’s resignation in 1827?
Wellington gains power and supports CE
divided tories into liberals and ultras
How did middle class pressure result in the 1832 Reform Act?
Their size increased their economic significance
Their reasoned argument was far more difficult to squash than mob
What were the features of the 1st and 2nd bills?
Disenfranchise 100 boroughs
No secret ballots
Uniform voting qualifiers
How did Grey gain a majority of 140?
Dissolved Parliament and held a re-election
Why did the 2nd bill not pass?
Blocked by the HOL.
Who gained power after the collapse of the tories in 1829?
Earl Grey (whigs)
What were the Bristol riots of 1831
130 killed or wounded
Prompted 3rd bill to be presented due to Bristol’s economic significance
What did the 3rd bill propose?
Disenfranchise 41 boroughs
30 lost 1 MP
10 new boroughs with 2 MPS
Why did Grey resign
3rd bill was blocked by tories
What were the days of may?
Middle class withdrew £1.8 mil in 10 days
Wellington was unable to form government due to lack of support
Grey forms a government with threat of 50 Whig peers in HOL
Why did the tories pass the 1832 reform act?
To reduce the threat of their majority being permanently diluted
By how much of a majority was the act passed by?
106 to 22
What were the provisions of the 1832 Act?
56 disenfranchised 30 lost 1 MP
42 new borough constituencies created
Scotland gained 8 seats Ireland gained 5
How did the electorate change after 1832?
Vote given to adult males who owned £10 or rented £50 worth of property (counties)
Vote given to males who owned/ rented £10 or paid tax
Voter registration introduced
What was the significance of the act.
18% of adult males could now vote
Towns and cities gained some representation
Still massively unrepresentative
