Politics 1812-1832 Flashcards
1812-1822
reactionary and conservative measures
- Corn laws 1815
- abolition of income tax 1816
- repression of radicalism and the 6 acts
1812-1822 reactionary and conservative measures
Corn laws 1815
- protectionist measure against the reintroduction of foreign wheat into the market after the end of the napoleonic wars
- aimed to protect the british farming industry
- hit the poorest of society the hardest with highly inflated wheat prices and poor harvests making life hard for the unemployed and those on low wages
1812-1822 reactionary and conservative measures
Abolition of income tax 1816
- largely benefitted the upper classes who now only had to pay a flat rate
- working classes were exempt from income tax but were not exempt from the new flat rate
- protecting the wealthiest eg those in parliment
1812-1822 reactionary and conservative measures
Repression of radicalism
- reacting to the manifestations of discontent through the reduction of civil liberties
- 1816 spa feild riots leads to the game laws
- 1817 march of blanketeers + pentrich rising leads to the suspension of habeas corpus
- 1819 peterloo leads to the 6 acts
therefore gov is simply reacting and there is no premtive actions taken to prevent the emergance of radicalism
1812-1822
liberal measures
5
- repeal of orders in council 1812 - gave into the demands of thomas attwood and the middle classes whose buissnesses were suffereing as a result of the blockade
- doctrine of the trinity act 1813 - gave more rights to dissenters, but only passed after they failed to further reduce the rights of dissenters but only caused more agitation
- repeal of statute of artificers 1814 - symbolic gesture to show the government was supportive of getting the poor into work
- poor employment act 1817 - response to the unemployment in the midlands but had no real effect
- factory act 1819 - following the pressure from robert owen and other social reformers, the act hoped to reduce the working hours of children and prevent children under 9 working. but only applied to cotton mills and could not be enforced
1822-1827
liberal measures
3
- shift towards free trade - cuts in duties eg manufactured goods 50% to 20%, repeal of navigation acts to promote trade, reciprocity of duties act 1823
- law and order - death penalty removed for around 180 crimes, gaols act 1823 gave a wage to jailors to prevent bribery
- Banking acts 1826 - reduced number of withdrawls under £5 and the bank of england had to produce weekly reports - but was only passed after the 1825 banking crisis
1822-1827
what did the government not do ?
5
- no parlimentry reform
- no catholic emancipation
- no proper factory reform
- slavery still not wholey abolished
- corn laws still in plcae
how did liverpool keep his party together ?
- skillfully managed divisions between the liberals and the ultras by refusing to answer the hard questions
- he included both ultras and liberals in his cabinet to please both factions
- evident as once he is gone his party falls apart
Post war radicalism
Reasons for reemergence
3
- Unrepresentative system - rotten boroughs, only 11% of all men could vote, No secret ballot, new industrial cities without representation, bribery still common practice
• Economic reasons - poor harvests, demilitarisation of 300,000 soldiers led to low wages and unemployment, continued industrialisation, post war recession and trade slumps
• Government policy - Corn laws 1815 protectionist, abolition of income tax (poor now had to pay)
Post war radicalism
Manifestations of radicalism
3
• Organisations - Hamden clubs, political unions, used Methodists as example
• The radical press - Black Dwarf satyr, Cobbet’s political register
• Strengths - Leadership eg Henry hunt and his speaking tours, end of war meant end to loyalism (no more patriotism), radical education as more working class people could read.
Post war radicalism
Examples of radical activity
8
• Luddism 1812-1815 - (machine breakers) mainly hand loom Weavers who were frustrated with their loss of income due to new machines
• Spa Field riots 1816 - meeting of around 3000 people to hear a speech by Henry Hunt, small group of around 300 broke off and armed themselves in an attempt to take the Tower of London
• Pentrich Uprising 1817 - a rising encouraged by Oliver the spy, workers set out to join a fabricated rising but were scattered by the army
• March of the blanketers 1817 - group of around 5000 handloom weavers set out to present a petition to the prince regent for reform
• 1818 - no examples due to good harvest
• Peterloo 1819 - mass meeting of 60,000 people to hear a speech by Henry hunt, the local magistrates took action, led to death of 11 and the injury of over 400, explosion in radical press.
• Cato street conspiracy 1820 - conspiracy to assassinate the PM and his cabinet
• Queen Caroline Affair 1820 - in light of George IV’s coronation his wife Caroline returned from Italy to become Queen but she was refused entry and tried fro adulatory, she gained much support from the radical press who looked to expose the hypocrisy of the king and the Government
