The Great Reform Act and its impact

Question 1

Describe parliament until 1832

Answer 1

A small, self selecting, aristocratic, land owning elite

Question 2

What did the vast majority lack politically?

Answer 2

Any choice to decide whom and how they were governed

Question 3

Who was part of the government committee of four pro reformers?

Answer 3

Lord Russell, Lord Durham, Lord Althorp, Lord Brougham

Question 4

What did this committee of pro reformers do?

Answer 4

Drew up detailed proposals for a far reaching redistribution of seats and the extension and consolidation of the various franchises

Question 5

When were these proposals put before the commons?

Answer 5

March 1831

Question 6

What happened when the bill was put before the commons?

Answer 6

It was wrecked by opposition at the committee stage

Question 7

How did Grey respond when the bill was destroyed?

Answer 7

Grey resigned and a general election was called, resulting in a massive Tory defeat and the return of the Whigs to office with a strong majority

Question 8

What happened following this election?

Answer 8

A slightly amended bill was reintroduced and passed through the commons

Question 9

What happened to the bill in Oct 1831?

Answer 9

The Tory majority in the Lords threw it out

Question 10

What were the lords effectively doing by rejecting the bill?

Answer 10

Turning their backs on any idea of parliamentary reform, denying middle class interests and working class aspirations for a fairer system of representation

Question 11

What did this move provoke?

Answer 11

An immediate and strong reaction across the country

Question 12

Describe this strong reaction across the country

Answer 12

• High profile anti reformists like the Dukes of Wellington and Newcastle saw their houses attacked by the mob
• Ugly riots occured
• The centre of Bristol was destroyed by an out of control crowd

Question 13

Why did this violence bring parliament to such an impasse?

Answer 13

The majority of the dependable, law abiding middle classes were also infuriated and many members of the government supported the reform, meaning the government couldn’t use its usual repressive approach

Question 14

How did the government face another crisis in May 1832?

Answer 14

Another revised bill was introduced and rejected by the lords again

Question 15

What did Grey ask the King to do in response?

Answer 15

Create 50 new peers to get the bill through

Question 16

What happened when the King rejected this request?

Answer 16

Grey resigned and Wellington was asked to form a ministry

Question 17

What did Britain seem on the verge of to some?

Answer 17

Revolution

Question 18

What was the main indicator that revolution may have been impending?

Answer 18

There were mass demonstrations in London, Birmingham and Manchester

Question 19

What happened when Wellington failed to find support?

Answer 19

Grey returned as PM, with the King promising to create new peers if the bill failed to pass again

Question 20

What happened in June 1832?

Answer 20

The bill became law

Question 21

What happened when the bill finally passed?

Answer 21

Bells rang out, the public rallied and there were great celebrations

Question 22

What did the significant redistribution of seats do?

Answer 22

Boroughs with small populations lost their MPs and these were transferred to large centres of population that were now represented in parliament for the first time

Question 23

What happened to the franchise?

Answer 23

It was extended and made more uniform, particularly in the boroughs, with the result that many middle class men formed the electorate

Question 24

What proportion of the adult male population were now enfranchised?

Answer 24

1/6

Question 25

List the problems that still existed despite the act

Answer 25

• Public voting still took place, allowing bribery and corruption to continue
• The counties were still dominated by the landed gentry, with many having their position strengthened by the redistribution of seats to the counties
• Many large industrial centres were still under represented
• The class composition of the commons didn’t change much
• The majority of the population still had no vote
• The working classes who had frightened parliament into the change were completely excluded

Question 26

What is the most significant thing about the GRA?

Answer 26

It proved an important landmark in parliamentary reform, as it pinpointed the start of Britain’s shift towards becoming a democratic society - even though this was not what the Whigs actually intended it to be

Question 27

Why did the Whigs not actually agree with the idea that Britain would transform into a democratic society?

Answer 27

They wanted to reform the commons to make it more representative of the industrial society that Britain had become. However, they wanted to retain the idea that land or property ownership was an essential voting qualification, and they continued to believe that the involvement of the aristocracy was essential in ensuring order and stability. Although they were reforming party, many of them sat in the lords and did not want to threaten their own position

Question 28

How can the GRA be seen as nothing more than the Whig aristocracy looking out for their own interests?

Answer 28

They were just legitimising their position by including the industrial and commercial interests alongside the landed interests. This can be seen by the fact that they increased county representation by sleight of hand to prevent industrial interests becoming predominant. They had courted the middle classes while ignoring the working classes to prevent a dangerous alliance between the two. They went as far as they could in terms of their outlooks and traditions

Question 29

What did the radicals think about the GRA?

Answer 29

They were dissatisfied and thought that it had not gone far enough

Question 30

Why were radicals angry at the lack of a secret ballot?

Answer 30

Because it meant bribery and corruption could continue and it allowed landlords to continue to exercise control at the hustings

Question 31

How did the radicals criticise the franchise?

Answer 31

They thought it was still too narrow and excluded the working classes

Question 32

How much did the size of the electorate increase?

Answer 32

It went from about 435,000 voters to 652,000

Question 33

What was the downside of the act for the landed aristocracy?

Answer 33

They lost their monopoly of political power and were forced to share it with middle class merchants, industrialists and professionals

Question 34

What happened to many members of the middle class following the act, like Thomas Attwood?

Answer 34

An increasing number became MPs

Question 35

Why was the GRA such a big political victory for the Whigs?

Answer 35

The majority of the new entry voted with the Whigs and this enabled the Whigs to form majority governments for most of the following three decades

Question 36

What was the feeling among the Whigs following the act?

Answer 36

That they had done enough to satisfy demand and reform was complete

Question 37

What did the GRA do for the commons?

Answer 37

It strengthened it to the point that it could impose its will upon the lords and monarch as it opened the way for more parliamentary reform

Question 38

What can the GRA be seen as a catalyst for?

Answer 38

The Whig social reforms of the 1830s and 40s