Radicalism and demands for parliamentary reform (1783-1812) Flashcards
When did radical opinion begin to grow
Late 18th century
Who did this rise in radicalism centre around
A number of high profile individuals who spoke out on political and social issues of the day. For the most part intellectual radicals: dissenters like Richard Price, expressing criticism of the established church, the political establishment and the influence of the aristocratic values that dominated politics and society
Describe the active radical groups in London
Outspoken and extreme in their views as some members were, they largely belonged to the respectable classes and were not perceived as any real threat to govt. Excited by French rev, hoping it would spur the govt to extend civil and religious rights and freedoms. When the extreme violence of the revolutionaries became known, many changed position
Describe the rise of ‘popular radicalism’ in the 1790s
Groups of artisans from London and the industrial towns and cities of Scotland and north England were inspired by Tom Paine’s Rights of Man to join radical societies. This development caused alarm as there had never been any consideration that the lower orders could ever have a right to political existence, and it was instrumental in bringing about a change in govt policy from one of gradual reform to repression
How was the radical movement strong in Scotland
A series of trials took place in Edinburgh against a group of prominent reformers for writing and circulating seditious literature. Much of the material was on the need for parliamentary reform. The leaders, among them Thomas Muir, were sentenced to transportation, an unnecessarily severe punishment
How did the French rev split the Whig opposition
One the one side were the pro-rev Whigs led by Fox and on the other the anti rev whigs who slowly moved their support to Pitt as reports of the terror filtered back and war was declared. Burke the first leading whig to defect to Pitt. The rest were led by the Duke of Portland, who was rewarded with the home sec post, with others positions given to a handful of his followers, making Pitt’s govt a war time coalition. Fox hung on in opposition with a much reduced following, insisting that ‘Pitt was a greater menace to English liberties than the French revolutionaries’
Meant the end of the whig party that had dominated politics for much of the 18th century. Differences of opinion and Pitt’s strong peacetime govt had weakened it. The substantial defection made one observer ask Pitt ‘are you not afraid you might be outvoted in your own cabinet’ which pitt answered by saying ‘I am not anxious about this. I place great dependence on my new colleagues and even more on myself’, a measure of his continuing confidence. However John Derry points out he ‘could not overlook the inflexibility the Portland Whigs showed towards the republican regime in France and their demands for measures to stamp out defection at home’. This interpretation offers another reason he may have shifted towards repression after 1793
The whig split cleared the way for the tory ascendancy in the early 19th century
Demands for parliamentary reform at this time
Early in his career Pitt believed some redistribution of seats was desirable to redress the balance between the overrepresented south and the underrepresented northern industrial boroughs. In 1785 he proposed a bill to redistribute seats from several rotten boroughs with few voters to the more densely populated northern counties and London. It was defeated and when the King expressed his disapproval, Pitt dropped any notion of reform. The aristocratic political elite did not wish to support any reform that might disturb their monopoly on power
Although Pitt’s passing interest in reform did not show any commitment to the idea of extending the franchise beyond the properties classes, and there was no intention to create a democratically elected parliament that was representative of the people, it was still an opportunity lost for gradual parliamentary reform
A moderate movement for parliamentary reform emerged in the 1780s, calling for universal male suffrage and annual parliaments, run by largely middle class intellectual radicals. Its progress was boosted and damaged by the French rev. On the one hand there was a surge of interest from a wider group of middle class men, skilled artisans and shopkeepers, who rushed to join the many new societies set up to further the cause of reform and on the other hand, the violence of the revolution made govt suspicious of their motives, seeing threats of republicanism in all their activities and heavily clamping down on them. Also the range of interests of radical groups, extension of religious freedoms for dissenters, the abolition of the slave trade etc. diluted the effectiveness of the campaign for parliamentary reform. The republican views of some groups like the Society for Constitutional Information lost the sympathy of moderate opinion
Charles Grey, young aristocratic whig and supporters of Fox, formed the Society of Friends of the People to promote equal representation, but when he put forward a 1793 motion for parliamentary reform, it was defeated by 282-41. Reaction seemed more popular than reform even among the whigs. Anxiety and fear about what was happening in France put paid to any other serious attempts at reform
Working class disturbances 1800-12
Little activity from the main radical groups after 1800, but working class discontent continued, albeit sporadically, despite Pitt’s repressive measures. There were the usual food riots, which were more a response to distress than stirred up by radical influence. A group calling themselves United Englishmen threatened insurrection, but in reality they were of little consequence. The short peace calmed nerves on all sides. The fact that there were industrial disputes between 1800-12 despite the combination laws were an indication of the hardships caused by wartime fluctuations and the adverse impact of technological changes. The introduction of the power loom in factories threatened the livelihood of the handloom weavers, especially in Lancashire. When they failed to secure an 1808 Minimum Wage Bill, they rioted and sabotaged the machines. Their actions became part of wider machine breaking disturbances, which by 1811 became associated with Luddism. These early outbreaks of unrest were early indications of the potential strength of workers to negotiate for improved conditions. More likely they were seeking improved conditions than contemplating revolution. The outbreaks were sporadic and the govt was preoccupied with progress in the war anyway
