The ideas and ideology of the Whig party 1832-46 Flashcards
How did the Whigs traditionally differ to the Tories?
They believed in a constitutional monarchy, where the monarch’s powers of patronage would be limited
What do McCord and Purdue say had become clear following the GRA?
‘Royal favour could no longer sustain an office in ministry which could not win from the electorate the support of a commons majority’
What had William IV’s political movements in the 1830s proven?
He attempted to manipulate who should run the government, and in doing so it became clear that it was no longer sufficient for the government to hold the confidence of the King, it must also have the approval of the electorate
Why was this state of affairs what the Whigs wanted?
Because it was in line with their principles
What was the consequence of the GE of Dec 1832?
It was the first one after the GRA and it delivered the Whigs a resounding majority in the commons and brought more middle class and radical elements within their number
What did the majority of Whigs still belong to?
Powerful aristocratic landowning families, most of whom regarded the concessions of the GRA as a final settlement
What was the consequence of leading Whigs sitting in the HoL?
It meant they had enough influence for the junior branches of their families to be assured of seats in the commons
What was similar about the Whig and Tory parties?
They were both parties of self interest
Why does Richard Brown say the Whigs had brought in parliamentary reform?
Because they had realised that it was ‘necessary and advantageous’
What were the two reasons that the Whigs saw parliamentary reform as beneficial at this time?
- They recognised that it was necessary to consider middle class opinion
- They recognised they would gain advantage by getting rid of the Tory dominated rotten boroughs, thus strengthening their position in parliament
What did the Whigs not do once they had achieved their objectives through the GRA?
Pursue a programme of further reform
Why did the Whigs believe that no further reform was needed after 1832?
Because they thought they had gone far enough by dealing with the revolutionary threats and revitalising the political system
What would happen to political reform in the coming years?
There was little further political reform for 30 years
List some of the ground breaking social reforms the Whigs passed following the GRA
- The 1833 Factory Act
- The 1833 Abolition of Slavery
- The 1835 Municipal Corporations Act
What motivated these Whig social reforms?
A number of progressive Whigs were motivated by the humanitarian movement that sought to improve the living and working conditions of the labouring poor and by Bentham’s utilitarianism, which promoted the necessity of usefulness in laws and institutions
What happened to the Whigs strong parliamentary majority at subsequent GEs?
They lost ground but still retained an overall majority
How did this cause discord between the Whigs and radicals?
- The Whigs blamed the radicals for frightening off moderate support
- The radicals criticised the Whigs for failing to keep up the momentum following the GRA
Why could the Whig party no longer be called one of reform?
- Grey was coming to the end of his career and had lost his reforming zeal
- Melbourne did not think there were any pressing issues that needed to be resolved
- The most outspoken reformers, Lords Russell Brougham and Durham were dropped from the cabinet in 1835
What was the main structural weakness of the Whigs?
They were not a party in the formal sense, but rather more of a coalition
Why was the party more of a coalition?
Because of their inclusion of the radicals, who wanted further reform, and their dependence on the fragile support of the Irish MPs, whose immediate agenda was to press for Irish concessions, but it was suspected their main goal was the break up of the union
What Whig weakness gave the conservatives an upper hand?
They lacked effective organisation, which was essential for maintaining power. Conversely, this is something the conservatives were paying close attention to
What were the three main ideologies that influenced the progressive whigs in terms of social and political reform?
Utilitarianism, evangelicalism and humanitarianism
Explain utilitarianism
Based on the view that minimal interference in people’s lives would bring the greatest happiness to the greatest number. He saw it as the government’s duty to therefore impose as little restrictions as possible. This resonated with the leading Whigs
Explain evangelicalism
Spiritual movement within the CoE, which encouraged righteousness, adherence to the Bible and to seek salvation through faith. Followers promoted a morality based on their faith, which relied on decency in a well ordered and stable society. This appealed to Whig ideals
Explain humanitarianism
This was a belief in the worthiness of human beings, behaving decently and benevolently towards your fellow man, philanthropy, and a love of mankind, demonstrated by contributing to general welfare.
What did humanitarianism steer politicians towards doing?
Adopting a sense of duty towards the poorer members of society
