Peel And the Conservative Party 1832-46 Flashcards
When was the reform act passed?
1832
When was the Carlton club founded?
1832
When was the Tamworth manifesto published?
1834
When was Peel Prime minister?
When was his first ministry? When was his second?
1834-46
1841
When was the national anti-corn law league formed?
1839
When was the ‘ladies of the bedchamber’ affair?
1839
When was the income tax restored and free trade measures put in place?
1842
When was the bank charter act passed?
1844
When did the Irish famine start?
1845?
When was the repeal of the corn laws passed by he HoC?
1846
Did Peel oppose parliamentary reform?
Peel was not eager to be seen as supporting parliamentary reform but didn’t want to condemn it either. Supporting it would have put a barrier between him and Wellington and other ultra Tories. Not supporting it would have been going against considerable desire for change.
This policy prevented the Tories seeming old fashioned, narrow in base of support and against change.
What issues did Pitt face in 1830 as the leader of he Tories?
His party was divided
The Tories were divided about parliamentary reform
The mood of the country was for change but the bulk of the Tories opposed change.
The reform proposals would have ended a lot of Tory control of rotten borough
The Tories did not do well in the 1832 general election and had fallen to 170 seats
What did Peel do to cater to a larger electorate?
Set up the Carlton club in 1832 run by Sir Francis Bonham. This sent out info about MPs and candidates
Conservative Associations in the countries made sure conservative supporters were registered to vote under the new regulations of the reform act. Organised speakers and have voters information at elections
Peel made his policies clear to his own voters (Tamworth Manifesto 1834)
New concept of party organisation and manifesto, played a large role in electoral success in 1841.
What did Conservative mean?
Someone who wanted to conserve the best elements of the country by making moderate reform.
Tory, old fashioned, simply oppose change
What issues were there with Peel’s relationship with others in the party?
Wellington unhappy with the changes
Disraeli is a key enemy of Peel
Peel did not do much to gain the support of his cabinet
Peel’s measure to repeal the Corn laws was unpopular
Who was Lord Melbourne?
Whig PM and follower of Charles James Fox
Served under Canning as a Tory as secretary for Ireland in 1827
Returned to the Whigs to be Home Secretary in 1830
Was PM April 1835 to August 1841
Queen Victoria liked him a lot, a lot more that severe and formal Peel
How did Peel become PM in 1834?
William IV dismissed Lord Melbourne due to his desire to reform tithes. Whig ministers were resigning and the King felt it was not the PM’s place to intervene with the state church and that it was undermining his control of Ireland.
Great had resigned over a similar issue in 1834, when he found out some of his ministers were negotiating with the Irish leader O’Connell to relax the Coercion laws.
The king asked Peel to gourmet a government.
Why didn’t Peel last as PM in 1834?
Although he had the kings support only a general election victory would give Peel the control of the HOC that he needed.
Although the Tamworth Manifesto helped the Conservatives win 100 more seats in 1835 than in 1832. The Whigs made a pact with the Irish MPs which meant a conservative majority was not possible and Peel resigned.
This election showed that royal support was not enough to secure a government anymore and support of the enlarged electorate was crucial
What did Peel do as his time as PM in 1834-5?
An act to allow civil marriage, non-conformists could marry without using the Church of England service
Peel began an inquiry that led to the reform of tithes
What was the Ladies of the Bedchamber affair?
In 1839, Melbourne resigned over lack of support for a bill to take over the running of Jamaica for five years.
Peel could have become PM again but declined when Queen Victoria refused to dismiss the ladies of her bedchamber.
These ladies advised the Queen
Peel particularly objected to the presence of Lady Normanby, the wife of a Whig colonial secretary and an enemy of Peel.
Why did Peel win the general election of 1841?
After Melbourne resigned over a proposal to reduce corn and sugar duties there was a vacancy.
Peel had presented the conservatives as an independent party willing to go against the Queen’s wishes in 1839 and prepared to accept change.
The political agitation of the Chartists and Anti Corn Law league needed strong leadership to deal with it. Peel offered this.
The election bought a Conservative majority needed to have an effective PM
Who was Benjamin Disraeli?
Tory MP
Enemy of Peel
PM in 1874
Introduced a reform bill in 1867
Witty
Tory radical, sympathetic to the poor. Argued that the upper classes should look after the people
What were the economic problems in 1841?
Budget deficit of £1.8 billion, debt funding an issue
Economic downturn had hit trade, this in turn affected Government income as 80% came from customs and excise
The economics combined with poor harvests led to unrest such as Chartist
Economics led to middle class agitation shown by the pressure group the Anti-Corn Law league
What was Peel’s economic strategy?
Introduce measures for freer trade to encourage prosperity, raise income and therefore bring in more taxes
Pay for the short term loss of income from taxes on trade by reintroducing Pitt’s idea of an income tax that had been abolished in 1816.
Ministry modernises banking
Eventually removes Corn laws
Conservatives start to be seen as representing the growing middle classes over the landowners and farmers who had traditionally supported them.
What were Peel’s tax changes? What were their impact?
Income tax on incomes over £150, this did not affect most of the population introduce 1842
This would raise £3 million over 3 years and pay for reductions on duties of 759 articles including timber and coffee
This income tax didn’t fall on the poorest in society and lower duties boosted their spending power
His own party were less happy about the reduction in the sliding scale of the Corn Laws
What was the Companies Act? When was it?
Helped make it easier and cheaper to form a business
1844
However limited liability didn’t come in until 1855 so any person who had put money in was liable for any debts
What was the British economy like in 1844?
Economic upturn and better harvests and more prosperity due to a boom in railway building by private companies( helped by the Companies Act 1844)
1845 the deficit was now a surplus of £3.4 million and Peel’s decision to maintain the income tax meant that 430 items were free of duty.
This free duty of cotton although expensive for the country made the textiles industry very competitive
Sugar tax was reduced helping ordinary consumers
Auction duties were cute ending a tax on sales and reducing living costs
Peel’s key aim was to increase trade and he launched what he believed to be a fairer taxation system to pay for it
What was the bank charter act?
1844
Prevented the circulation of excessive paper money
Ensured money kept its value as based upon gold
Cheques and bills of exchange developed allowed enough currency for business expansion
Who was Richard Cobden?
Helped establish the Manchester anti-Corn law league
Became MP in 1841 and became a major spokesperson for the movement
Free trade ideas
Who was John Bright?
As a Quaker he campaigned for more rights for non-conformists, temperance and free trade.
Worked with Cobden against the Corn laws
Became an MP in 1843
When was the railway boom? How many miles of track had been laid by 1852?
Boom 1844-46
By 1852 3,000 miles of track had been laid
Rapid expansion as the first railway only opened in 1825
What was the railway regulation Act? When was it?
1844
Introduced by William Gladstone
Gave parliament power to limit rail profits, purchase railways for the state and inspect the accounts of rail companies
Required rail companies to provide cheap travel to benefit the working class. Not more than one penny per mile
How did Peel deal with the need of a new type of economy in which industry had a far greater role?
Reducing manufacturing costs
Encouraging British exports
Soundly based money meant business confidence
Reducing indirect taxes so that ordinary people had more to spend on goods
Balances the government books like a prudent financier
Peel prepared to offer government intervention when necessary (railways and some labour in mines and factories) although Peel recognised the shift away from agriculture to industry economically he didn’t deal with many of the social problems
How effective was Peel as PM?
Despite criticisms from Disraeli. The cabinet didn’t oppose him in 1846 despite his over bearing leadership
Aware of changing nature of Britain and of the need to adapt policy to a more urban and industrial economy
Election of 1841 showed the success of his policy of appealing to a wider electorate
Didn’t maintain the support of his own party enough. He was stuck in the old political systems and found it (unsurprisingly) difficult to adapt
When was the anti-Corn law league established? What was he league
1839
A national group for diffierent groups protesting about the Corn laws. Pressure group focused on one issue
Leadership located in Manchester, greatest support from middle classes in urban areas in the North.
Cobden and Bright were the two dominant personalities
Devoted to free trade and resented the country being run by landowners and aristocrats, the corn laws symbolised this dominance
Approached politics as a moral campaign
When were the Corn laws introduced? When were they amended to a sliding scale?
1815
1828
Which Whig MP made annual attempts to abolish the laws 1837 to 1845?
Charles Villiers
When was there a parliamentary report on the Corn laws? What was the reaction of Peel?
1840
In 1842 he reduced the duty
What did he anti-Corn law league argue?
Corn laws went against he ideals of free trade
Workers needed cheap bread to improve living standards
High bread prices led to depression, this harmed workers, manufacturers and the cities of the north
By stopping other countries selling Britain wheat, these countries had no incentive or money to buy British goods
Corn laws benefitted only the landlords and aristocrats and were a symbol of their power.
In times of hardship (Irish famine 1845-46) the Corn Laws brought misery and death by starvation as the prevented the import of cheap corn
What were the arguments against the anti-Corn law league?
The Corn law of 1815 had been amended in 1828 and 1841z they were not considered untouchable by governments
Premise was flawed, bad years affected all European yields so there was not lots of foreign corn to import anyway
Corn from far away was very expensive to import. After repeal the price was hardly affected
Lower bread prices could have been used by employers to cut wages
Many reforms passed after 1832 had not been in the interests of aristocracy and land owners
What did the league do?
Raised money from middle class supporters
Maintained a constant pressure for repeal
Specific aims, got sympathetic MPs elected.
Passion and emotional appeal
When working class discontent broke out in 1842 the league drew back, didn’t let protest go too far.
Shared Characteristics with the BPU but issue was less radically political
How successful were the anti-corn law league?
Seemed successful, Corn laws repealed 1846
However,
Made no appeal to the politically powerful landed classes
Working classes suspicious of the middle class pressure group, Cobden’s reluctance to link middle and working class pressure important here
Opponents associated Corn law repeal with a low-wage economy offering little to the working man
Anti-league was an effective group and picked holes in the League
Without Peel’s enthusiasm for repeal the league was unlikely to have got what they wanted as they had no desire for politically revolutionary activity
What tactics did the Anti-Corn law league have?
Getting sympathetic MPs elected
- made sure supporters were registered to vote
- used funds to finance campaigns
- spent £250 million on property in the counties to make inroads in county seats
However party loyalties were proving too strong to allow the league to be a new political party
Large meetings at the Free Trade Hall in central Manchester, could hold 7000 people. Substantial support from non-conformists
A movement not just a party
- Anti-Corn law circular was free to those subscribing a pound or more. Used the penny post to send out leaflets
Why did Peel repeal the Corn Laws?
Pressure from the league
- Peel convinced by Cobden
- Peel supports free trade, corn laws illogical, felt he should act in what he considered right
Irish potato famine
-worry that law would break down in Ireland
Parliamentary pressure
- Whigs favour reform
- support of his Cabinet
- Whig and Wellington support means it could be passed in the lords
- Cheap bread is a popular cause
The Corn laws had come into effect rarely, in 1842 parliamentary enquiries recommended reducing the duty
Who were Peel’s biggest Critics?
Lord Derby (from a conservative great family, respected man of great social standing)
Benjamin Disraeli (brilliant at mocking and witty)
Why did Peel fall?
Defeated by his own backbenchers. They voted against a Irish Coercion Bill to increase political powers in Ireland. Peel lost the confidence of his own party so resigned in 1846. They voted this way over the resentment at the repeal of the Corn laws
Why did people dislike Peel?
Couldn’t communicate effectively with party- bad leadership
Peel promoting the interests of the urban people above those of the land. Rural Britain felt sidelined.
Peel’s economic, social and financial policies had not won the hearts of Conservative MPs even though they felt it was necessary
Criticised for lack of support for CofE. (Maynooth issue in Ireland, provocative gesture)
Resentment of Peel acknowledging the league, seem as ‘jumped up do-golfers’
When was the Corn law repeal passed?
1846
Did Lord John Russel support repeal?
Yes
However he would rather Peel do it as would be equally controversial as a Whig measure as large landowners supported he party.
How did Peel deal with the Irish Famine?
50% of the crop failed
Indian corn imported from the USA, hard to grind and poor quality
Had there been no Corn laws the issue would have been more easily solved
Why did Peel support reform after 1832 as well as before but not have it as an issue he passed?
Didn’t want to seem narrow in base of support or old fashioned but needed to stop Tories splitting even further
When was the Companies act?
1844
How many items had reduced duties under Peel?
750 items
Why did Peel resign the first time over Corn law repeal?
His desire for repeal leakers to the Times in December 1845
Whigs too divided to take office so Peel continues
