To what extent does the emergence of an industrial middle class explain the increasing demand for parliamentary reform in the years 1785-1832? Flashcards
What four factors need to be discussed?
1) Emergence of an industrial middle class
2) Corrupt old system
3) External factors
4) Unrest/protest
Who were the new middle class?
Educated, self made factory owners who had reaped huge economic benefits from the industrial revolution and employed many thousands of workers
With whom had the industrial middle class previously sided with to maintain their prosperity?
The establishment
Name two notable industrialists
Richard Arkwright and Samuel Crompton
Instead of siding with the establishment, what did the new middle class’s wide business interest mean?
they demanded a more laissez faire approach to economics
What did the fact that they employed so many mean for their desire for representation?
They wanted political influence equivalent to their economic influence
What did the 1815 corn laws do?
mean theta foreign grain could not be imported until the price of a bushel of wheat reached 10 shillings
Was the 1815 corn laws designed to do?
protect the domestic markets in the economic slump following the 1815 war
How did the middle classes see the 1815 corn law?
saw it as the government looking after their own, prioritising the interests of landowners
What Wass the implication of the corn laws for the middle classes?
It forced up the price of bread, so the middle classes had to pay workers more in order to sustain a healthy workforce
What did the middle class accuse the government of?
Aristocratic nepotism
The aristocratic nepotism of the government, which prevented the middle classes getting involved, was - to them - an abject waste of what?
talent
By 1831 what was lancashire’s population and how many MPs did it have?
By 1831 Lancashire had a population of 1.3 million and had 14 MPs
By 1831 what was Cornwall’s population and how many MPs did it have?
Cornwall had a population of 300 000 but 42 MPs.
How many boroughs had fewer than 40 voters
> 50
How many MPs represented a borough, even if only one person voted in it?
2
What was interesting about old sarum?
had a single landowner and no inhabitants, but still returned 2 MPs to parliament
How did Rotten Boroughs come about?
They were towns that had been important in the 17th century, but had since been depopulated
Why did New towns such as Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield did not return any MPs?
They did not exist in the 17th century
Name two types of borough to indicate the discrepancies between voting qualifications in boroughs
1) pot walloper
2) Scot and Lot Borough
Give an example of a pot walloper borough
Taunton
What happened in a pot walloper borough?
A man would be qualified to vote if he had a fireplace big enough to boil a pot in
What happened in a Scot and Lot borough?
all men who paid taxes such as the poor rate could vote
Give an example of a Scot and Lot borough
Preston
What proportion of elections were uncontested?
2/3
How long could a general election take?
up to 2 months- the result not being known until the end of it
What existed in place of a secret ballot?
Hustings
What was common in the hustings?
Open bribery
What was Treating?
When candidates would pay their supproter’s food and drink and accommodation throughout the election
What were lambs?
‘Lambs’ were groups of armed thugs who intimidated rival supporters
What was cooping?
kidnapping rival supporters until the end of the election
