The Growth of Parliamentary Democracy: Unreformed Parliament Flashcards
Who could vote in the counties?
Freeholders with property worth 40 shillings a year
What were the main voting systems in boroughs?
Freeman, Scot & Lot, Burgage, Freeholder, Potwalloper
Bedford had _____ members and 2 MPs, while Yorkshire had _____ and still only 2 MPs
2,000 & 20,000
In 1780 there were only 2 contested elections because?
The most powerful families usually bribed/forced vote
What were Pocket Boroughs? ( + eg.)
Small borough easily manipulated by wealthy families, eg. Gatton, Surrey- bought at auction for £90,000
Only _% of the male population could take part in an election
11
What were Rotten Boroughs ( + eg.)
Small areas with high representation, eg. Dunwich, Suffolk, had 14 voters and 2 MPs
What was the population of Manchester and how many representatives did they have in 1832?
182,000 and no MPS
How was reform promoted?
Leaflets and pamphlets (from 1780 onwards)
When were the Gordon Riots and why did they undermine reform?
1780, they were violent and anti-catholic: Scared politicians away from reform
In 1785, what did William Pitt propose?
Disenfranchising 36 of the worst boroughs and redistributing the seats
What year did the French Revolution break out and why did it effect calls for reform?
1789… It questioned rule by the rich
What book did Edmund Burke write in response to the French Revolution?
Reflection on the Revolutions in France, published 1790
Who wrote the Rights of Man in response to Burke’s criticism of the French Revolution?
Thomas Paine, published 1792. By 1793: 200,000 copies sold. Inspired ideas of natural rights and democracy.
Name two reform societies & action they took
Sheffield Society for Constitutional Reform: Petition for national male suffrage 10,000 signatures and London Corresponding Society, Copenhagen Fields meeting: 100,000 people, October 1795
The Treason Act in ___ meant that…
1795, treasonable acts were punishable by death (later including Six Acts and political resistance)
In 1816 the harvests failed, meaning that…
Even more demands for reform, particularly in conjunction with the decline in wages due to soldiers returning from war with France
Active reform press began to circulate from 1816 onward, including…
Cobbett’s Political Register (dropped price to 2d) and Wooler’s Black Dwarf
When was the March of the Blanketeers?
1817
When were the riots in Spa Field, Islington?
1816
Bradreth attempted to lead a rebellion in Derbyshire in…
1818
Who made speeches on reform and was speaking at the Peterloo massacre in 1819?
Henry Hunt
How many were there and how many killed at the Peterloo Massaccre?
60,000 there, 18 killed
In what year did Arthur Thistlewood and other radicals plot to assassinate the cabinet?
1820
Manufacturing classes (Middle Class) wanted the vote, and the government needed to oblige because…
Their entrepreneurship was fueling the industrial revolution
New Corn Law in 1816 meant that…
Peasants were unable to afford food, which now cost 10 shillings a bushel (equaled more demand for reform). Also meant that MC had to put wages up- generally made public unhappy
