The Anti-Corn Law League Flashcards
When were the Corn Laws passed?
1815
What was the Corn Law?
It was designed to keep the price of wheat high
What caused the Corn Law to be made?
Politicians in government were wealthy land owners who had made money from high wheat prices when trading had stopped with the French because of war. They were reluctant to see their profits fall.
Who was the Anti-Corn Law League mostly made up of?
Middle-class men who felt restrictions were unfair to the poor and the manufacturing middle class.
Who were two prominent leaders of the Anti-Corn Law League?
Richard Cobden and John Bright
Give 4 ways Cobden and Bright spread their ideas:
-Touring the country
-Giving speeches (both were excellent orators)
-Creating pamphlets
-Publishing articles in sympathetic newspapers
Give 2 ways Cobden and Bright took advantage of new technology:
-Using the railway to travel faster
-Spreading their pamphlets through the penny post
What was the penny post?
A cheap post that most people could afford.
What were Cobden and Bright’s main 6 arguments?
-The laws were unfair the poor
-Cheap wheat could help lower living costs
-People could spend more money on other foods like meat which could help farmers
-People could spend more money on industrial goods thus benefitting the manufacturers
-Countries exporting their wheat to Britain would have the money to invest in industry
-The relationship built up from trade could ensure peace in Europe in the coming years
When were Cobden and Bright elected as MPs?
1841 and 1843
Who did they find the support of in parliament?
The new Prime Minister, Robert Peel.
Peel was a supporter of what?
Free trade
What party was Peel the leader of and why was this an issue?
He was the leader of the conservative party, whose members were mostly wealthy landowners who would not support changes to a law which protected their wealth.
What happened in the early 1840s?
There was a potato failure in Ireland.
What caused the potato failure in Ireland?
A crop diseases blight, which had spread across Europe.