The Whig and Peel Ministries 1830-46 Flashcards
when was the Great Reform Act passed?
1832
evidence of the pre-reformed system being unrepresentative in the county seats
Lancashire (pop. 1,337,000) and Rutland (pop. 19,000) both sent 2 county MPs to Westminster
who qualified to vote in county seats in the pre-reformed system?
since 1430 men who owned freehold land or property valued at at least forty shillings (£2) had the right to vote
what impact had inflation had on the qualification to vote pre-reform?
made it much easier to achieve (men who owned as little as a cabbage patch qualified)
when were the 203 parliamentary boroughs (pre-reform) created?
13th and 14th centuries (most had subsequently declined)
what were the three types of boroughs?
1) county towns (e.g. London and Bristol)
2) smaller towns with populations of 5,000 to 10,000 (e.g. Bedford and Stafford)
2) rotten boroughs
examples of rotten boroughs pre-reform act
1) Dunwich had only 44 houses remaining by 1831 and 32 electors for its 2 MPs
2) Old Sarum had only 11 electors who had last been called up to vote in 1715
evidence for the strong southern bias pre-reform
a. At the beginning of the 19th century Cornwall (pop. 192,000) sent 44 members to parliament and Lancashire (pop. 1,337,000) sent 14
what were the 5 voting systems in boroughs pre-reform?
1) ‘scot and lot’ boroughs
2) ‘potwalloper boroughs’
3) ‘burage boroughs’
4) ‘corporation boroughs’
5) ‘freemen boroughs’
who had the right to vote in ‘scot and lot’ boroughs?
any adult male
who had the right to vote in ‘potwalloper boroughs’?
every resident male of at least 6 months standing who was not a pauper
who had the right to vote in ‘burage boroughs’?
voting rights were inherited
who had the right to vote in ‘corporation boroughs’?
member of the local corporation
who had the right to vote in ‘freemen boroughs’?
those qualified in various ways to be considered freemen
what could be send to defend the old parliamentary system pre-reform?
1) analysis of 32 borough constituencies found that 14% of electors were gentlemen vs. 60% of electors who were craftsmen or retailers
2) By the beginning of the 19th century only 180 MPs were directly nominated by a borough patron
what had population growth and industrialisation done in the pre-reformed system?
made the unrepresentativeness of the system glaringly obvious as populations had been concentrated in industrial centres in the North
why was the GRA able to be passed?
reform movement previously blocked by the anti-reform coalition but had collapsed in 1827
what were the Whig aims in passing the GRA?
1) placate revolutionary sentiment
2) garner support of the middle classes
3) preserve aristocratic government
what did Grey say the principle of his reform was?
“the principle of my reform is to prevent the necessity for revolution”
what was the nickname of Lord Russel (one of the four who drew up the 1st reform bill)?
‘finality Jack’
what did Russel say the GRA would be?
‘final solution to a great constitutional question’
what were the instructions given to the Cabinet Committee for drawing up the first reform proposals?
“a measure…large enough to satisfy public opinion and yet to afford sure ground of resistance to further innovation”
what did Grey say of the middle classes?
“the real and effective mass of public opinion…without whom the power of the gentry is nothing”
what did Lord Brougham say of the middle classes?
“the wealth and intelligence of the country, the glory of the British name”
what did Grey say about his stance on reform in 1831?
“there is no one more dedicated against annual parliaments, universal suffrage, and the ballot than I am”
what did Grey say on the impact of the GRA on aristocracy in 1831?
“I am indeed convinced that the more the Bill is considered the less it will be found to prejudice the real interests of the aristocracy”
what was the Chandos Clause of the GRA?
£50 tenants-at-will clause that gave tenants staying in property valued at £50 or more the right to vote
what did the Chandos Clause do?
a. Strengthened power of landed classes as landlords could force tenants to vote in accordance with them or be evicted as not secret ballot
what did the GRA do psychologically?
Broke psychological barrier to reform by establishing a precedent that the constitution could, and should, be amended at periodic intervals
what did John Bright say of the GRA and what did he imply?
‘not a good bill…[though] a great bill when it passed’ (suggest that the fact that the bill got through parliament is more significant than its actual contents)
what did Gladstone say the GRA did?
brought the middle class into the ‘privileged pale of the constitution’
how did the GRA preserve aristocratic governance?
1) left the same social groups at Westminster (no salary for MPs meant people from working class background could not afford to enter parliament)
2) Chandos Clause supported landed dominance
when was the first working class MP elected to parliament and how?
1874 through the backing of trade unions as still no salary
evidence for the GRA transforming politics into a more professional game
1) Debate polarised opinion and hence meant there were less MPs not taking a stance
2) Voters increasingly loyal to one party (1832-1865: 30% decrease in votes split between parties)
evidence against the GRA making politics more professional
MPs continued to act fairly independently (1835-41 over 70% of Whig, Liberal, and Radical MPs voted against Melbourne’s gov. in up to 10% of divisions)
what was the electorate in
a) 1832
b) 1833
a) 440,000
b) 653,000
how much did the GRA increase the electorate by?
nearly 50%
how much did Scotland’s electorate increase by as a result of the GRA?
from 4,500 to 63,000
how many adult males were enfranchised after the GRA?
18%
what happened to the electorate of Lancaster after the GRA?
decreased by 72%
how many boroughs were reduced to returning 1 MP due to the GRA?
30
how many boroughs lost the right to return 2 MPs due to the GRA?
56 (e.g. Old Sarum)
how many new boroughs were added due to the GRA?
63
evidence for the GRA decreasing the influence of the monarch
A PM candidate backed by the monarch lost an election for the first time (Peel in 1835)
how many rotten boroughs were there after the GRA?
70
what percentage of constituencies were contested
a) before the GRA
b) after the GRA
a) 40%
b) 60%
what did the Registration Act mean?
voters had to register to vote, encouraging the organisation of parties at a grassroots level
what impact did the Registration Act have?
laid the groundwork for Peel’s 1841 election majority as Tories were better at exploiting the clause
when was the ‘May Days’ crisis?
1832
what did mobs chant during the ‘May Days’ crisis?
‘the bill, the whole bill, and nothing but the bill’
when was slavery abolished throughout the British Empire?
1833
when was the salve trade abolished?
1807
how much were slave owners compensated by after the abolishment of the salve trade in 1833?
£20 million
what provision did the abolishment of slavery have for current slaves?
Delayed full emancipation of slaves until a period (up to seven years) of apprenticeship in limited freedom has been served
when did the Whigs implement a factory act?
1833
what were the terms of the 1833 factory act?
1) No child under the age of nine could be employed in a factory
2) Those children between the ages of 9 and 13 were restricted to an eight-hour day, two of which had to be given to education
3) Older children were restricted to a 12 hour day
4) 4 permanent inspectors were appointed to oversee implementation
what have some criticised the factory act of 1833 as?
A cosmetic exercise that merely tinkered with the worst excesses of the factory system
what were the limitations of the 1833 factory act?
1) not sufficient number of commissioners to ensure regulations were maintained (only 1 commissioner in the North)
2) exclusively affected the textile industry
3) parents could lie about the age of their children
when was the Poor Law Amendment Act implemented?
1834
what were the proposals of the PLAA?
1) Outdoor relief would no longer be provided for able-bodies poor
2) Expansion in the workhouse system for those unable to help themselves
3) Parishes to be grouped into Poor Law Unions to create larger units, allowing each of the individual categories of poor to be given their own individual workhouse
4) Poor Law Department established to regulate central control (3 paid commissioners would regulate local provision and local paid officials would help administer locally)
what was the concept behind the PLAA?
‘Less eligibility’ concept - system designed to deter rather than support (conditions in workhouses would be so unattractive that the poor would have to help themselves rather than enter a workhouse)
what meant that the implications of the PLAA on the poor were less severe?
series of productive harvests and the beginning of the railway age
what does the success of the PLAA depend on?
point of view (administrative efficiency vs effect on the poor)
when was the Municipal Corporations Act implemented?
1835
what did the Municipal Corporations Act propose?
1) The idea of a secret borough was abolished – from now on all borough councils were to be elected by all adult male ratepayers
2) Limited time sitting on council to 3 years and one third of councillors were elected on an annual basis
when was the first government grant for education issued?
1833
what was the initial grant for education in 1833?
£20,000
when was the government grant for education increased from £20,000 to £30,000?
1839
what was the government grant for education increased from and to and 1839?
from £20,000 to £30,000
what could the government grant for education be viewed as?
a foundation stone for later reforms
examples of reforms to the church of England
1) Established Church Act (1836)
2) The Pluralities Act (1838)
what did the established church act of 1836 do?`
Went some way towards standardising the territorial responsibilities of Bishoprics and reapportioning Church income
what did the pluralities act of 1838 do?
Placed restrictions on clergymen having more than one parish
what did reforms to the church of England collectively constitute?
a common sense response to known loopholes in the system of church administration
where can a clear dividing line in the character of Whig reforms be placed?
1835 (when Lord Melbourne came to office)
when was Grey in office for?
1830-34
when was Lord Melbourne in office for?
1835-41
what did Melbourne say on his attitude to reform?
‘I am for holding the ground already taken but not for occupying new ground rashly’
what did Whiskered say the character of the Whig reforms were?
‘crumbs from a rich man’s table rather than a genuine attempt to reorganise society’
what did Grey say about regretting reform?
‘damn reform I wish I had never touched it’
what movements influenced Whig reforms?
1) the Utilitarians (greatest happiness for the greatest number)
2) the Humanitarians (improvement of working conditions)
3) the Evangelicals (religious and moral interest)
what did Macaulay say Whig reforms did?
Laid the basis of ‘the history of physical, moral, and intellectual improvement’
what did Finlayson say Whig were due to their reforms ?
‘authors of ‘safe and strengthening’ measures’ which facilitated a ‘peaceful political evolution’
what did Thompson say it is important to avoid when considering past events?
‘the enormous condescension of prosperity’
what did McCord say of how we should consider reforms?
‘seen firmly in the light of the realities of the society in which these governments operated and the resources which that society actually possessed’
what were limitations that the Whigs operated under when implementing their reforms?
1) The Home Office possessed a headquarters staff of merely c.20 people
2) When the Whigs took office in 1830 there had only been three very limited national censuses
3) Demand for cheap government was more popular than any countervailing cry for bigger and better administration
what was Grey’s motto?
Peace [cutting the costs of the armed forces], Retrenchment [cutting government spending] and Reform [removing the corruption and extravagance of government]’
by how much did Whigs cut taxation in the early 1830s?
10%
when was the Carlton Club set up?
1832
what did the Carlton Club do?
gave information to MPs and candidates
what was the Tories response to the registration clause?
set up Conservative association in constituencies to ensure that Conservative supporters were registered to vote
what did Peel say in the 1839 election?
‘registration, registration, registration’
who organised the Conservative party at a grass roots level?
Frances Bonham
when was the Tamworth Manifest?
1834
what did Peel say about the reform bill in the Tamworth Manifesto?
‘I consider the Reform Bill a final and irrevocable settlement of a great constitutional question – a settlement which no friend to peace and welfare of this country would attempt to disturb’
what did Peel say he would not undertake in terms of reform in the Tamworth Manifesto?
‘abandoning altogether the respect for ancient rights and the deference to authority’
how many more seats did Peel gain in the 1835 election than in the 1832 election?
100
what was Peel’s majority in the 1841 election?
76 seats
what did Brock say the Whigs shows when they first came to office?
‘they showed more aptitude for repression…than anything else’
evidence of the Whigs being repressive
1) Severe legislation to punish offenders in Swing Riots (1831)
2) Transported the ‘Tolpuddle Martyrs’ to Australia in 1834 as punishment for setting up their own trade union
what did the working class claim the GRA was?
‘a mere trick to strengthen…the towering exclusiveness of our ‘blessed constitution’
what was the PLAA described as by someone?
‘a murderer’s death blow to the operative classes’
what did Peel say in 1841 which showed he would not regard party interest in decisions he made?
‘I will not hold office by the servile tenure which would compel me to be the instrument of carrying other men’s opinions into effect’
what did Lord Ashley claim Peel demanded?
‘unthinking obedience’
when was the mines act passed?
1842
what did the mines act do?
banned women and children from working underground
when did Peel introduce a factory act?
1844
what did the factory act of 1844 do?
reduced the hours of work in textile factories
what was the budget position in 1844?
budget surplus of £4 million
what was the budget position in 1841?
£1.8 million
how much of public spending was going towards paying off interest charges on the national debt in 1841?
£30m out of £50m (60%)
what did the 1842 budget do?
1) Introduced an income tax of 7 pence in the pound on incomes over £150
2) Reduced the duties on 750 articles
how much did the income tax introduced in 1842 raise?
£3 million over 3 years
what did the 1842 budget set the maximum duty on raw materials at?
5%
what did the 1842 budget set the maximum duty on manufactured goods at?
20%
the duty on what was abolished in the 1842 budget?
timber
Peel quote about making goods cheaper
‘we must make this country a cheap country for living’
how did the 1842 budget redistribute income?
made goods cheaper for consumers (reduction in duties) at the expense of the rich (income tax)
what did the 1845 budget do?
1) maintained income tax
2) made 430 items duty free
when was the Bank Charter Act introduced?
1844
what did the Bank Charter Act do?
Prevented the circulation of excessive paper money through restricting bank notes to those issued by the Bank of England
what did Peel say the Bank Charter Act would do?
‘re-establishing the ancient standard of value’
why was the discovery of gold reserves in Australia and California significant in terms of the Bank Charter Act?
meant there was more gold in circulation so the Bank of England was able to issue enough currency for business expansion
example of the problem of shortage of currency created by the Bank Charter Act?
policy had to be suspended in 1847 as ‘railway mania’ drained the bank of cash
how much railway track was laid between when?
3,000 miles between 1844 and 1852
the railway industry absorbed how much of the private investment in the country when?
half the private investment between 1844 and 1847
examples of railway investment projects
Britannia Bridge and Royle Border Bridge
why did Peel delay the repeal of the Corn Laws?
1) hoped that returning prosperity would appease backbench critics
2) waiting for the ACLL to lose steam so would not be seen as seeding to their demands
why did Peel repeal the Corn Laws when he did (1846)?
1) Irish famine (1845) = catalyst
2) By the mid-1840s the economy was emerging from recession
3) after gov. budget of 1845 the Corn Laws remained the last great barrier to the wholesale achievement of free trade
4) wanted to carry the measure before the next general election in 1848
how did Wellington say the Irish Famine affected Peel?
‘rotten potatoes have put Peel in this damn fright’
what caused the Irish Famine?
50% of the potato crop failed
when was the Irish Famine?
1845
what did Peel say about the repeal of the Corn Laws in relation to the Irish Famine?
‘the removal of impediments to imports is the only remedy’
why did Peel have particular sympathy towards Ireland?
former chief-secretary for Ireland
with what majority did the bill to repeal the Corn Laws pass through Parliament?
98
how many Tories voted against Peel on the repeal of the Corn Laws?
241 out of 114 (two thirds)
after Peel’s government of 1841-1846 when was the next time the Tories held majority government and under who?
1874 under Disraeli
why did Peel resign in June 1846?
defeated over a Coercion Bill for Ireland due to a backbench rebellion
what happened after Peel resigned from office?
1) over a hundred Peelites resigned alongside him
2) Lord Derby became PM
when was the Anti-Corn Law League established?
1839
where was the heartland of the ACLL?
Birmingham and Manchester (industrial towns whose fortunes were based on trade and industry)
who were the prominent figures in the ACLL?
Richard Cobden and John Bright (both became MPs in the 1840s)
what did Cobden say to the other members of the ACLL in 1842?
‘Free trade, a means, and, I believe the only human means, of effecting universal and permanent peace’
what were the methods of the ACLL?
1) getting MPs elected to parliament
2) distributing ideology
how did the ACLL distribute their ideology?
1) raised money from middle class supporters to send out lecturers and speakers
2) opened a Free Trade Hall in Manchester (capable of holding c.7,000)
3) newspaper - The ‘Anti-Corn Law Circular’
what were the effects of the ACLL financing campaigns in the north in the 1841 election?
won a seat in Wasall and both seats in Manchester (less success elsewhere)
evidence of the ACLL buying property to qualify for the vote
Spent £250 million in Lancashire, Cheshire, Yorkshire and Sussex
what did the ACLL refrain from?
1) civil disobedience
2) uniting with Chartism
what did Lord Macaulay about the Corn Laws?
‘The Corn Laws will not be repealed until a ministry takes the matter up.’
what was the organisation set up in opposition to the ACLL called?
The Central Agricultural Protection Society (aka the Anti-Anti-Corn Law League)
who were the prominent figures in the Central Agricultural Protection Society?
Lord George Bentwick and the Duke of Buckingham
who opposed the repeal of the corn laws in parliament?
Tory backbenchers led by Disraeli
