Unit 2: How far did the influence of the aristocracy over elections and parliament change in 1780-1928? Flashcards
Describe the aristocratic involvement in elections and parliament.
From 18th century, they had strong influence over elections and the House of Commons.
They were wealthy landowners who mostly had their strong influence in the counties, whose electors would vote for the aristocratic candidate through fear of repercussions.
They paid voters in the smaller boroughs to vote for them.
Dominated House of Lords and House of Commons eg. in Pitt’s government 1783-94, cabinet had 3 House of Commons members against 9 House of Lords members.
Describe Burke’s economic reforms to secure parliamentary independence in the 1780s.
n 1780, he presented a reform plan to House of Commons that reflected the demands of the associations in Yorkshire and other counties which would lead to the reduction in expenditure and enable the government to reduce taxes.
He believed that economic reform would weaken the growing demands for parliamentary reform as he supported the existing electorate system.
He believed that the removal of Crown and government patronage would give MPs independence so parliamentary reform would be unnecessary.
The reform bill failed, Whig MP Dunning’s reform to reduce royal influence also failed but demonstrated the growing unease of Crown influence.
Describe Burke’s reforms when he was appointed paymaster in Rockingham’s government.
As paymaster, Burke could use the profits of the armed forces for his own benefit.
Burke put all paymaster funds into the Bank of England- he also did this with the Civil Service Act which removed over 130 royal and government sinecures saving £70,000 a year.
When Pitt became PM in December 1783, what were the issues inherited from North’s time in office?
The fall of North’s government 1782 and the end of the American Civil War 1783, contributed to the collapse of the Yorkshire associations and similar bodies.
Whigs and many independent MPs continued their attacks on corruption.
American Civil War increased the national debt.
Describe William IV and Melbourne’s government in 1832-35.
The Whigs and their allies won the general election of 1832.
In 1834, William IV who was worried about the Whig’s proposals for reform to the Irish church, dismissed Prime Minister Lord Melbourne and invited Peel to form a government.
Since Peel’s government held only 175 seats, he asked for a dissolution of parliament- January 1835 election added 100 seats for the conservatives but it was not enough to form a stable government so Peel resigned and Melbourne returned.
This demonstrates the effects of the Reform Act and economic reform as William IV and his successors could no longer choose a prime minister without parliament majority in House of Commons.
What were Pitt’s reforms when he became Prime Minister in December 1783?
Aimed to control national finances by reforming government administration.
Because it would be difficult to tackle a wide range of vested interests all at once, Pitt instead waited until the officeholder died and then allowed the position to dissipate which took a long time.
By 1800, the monarch could not use sinecures and pensions so ministers had to rely on increasing support of parliament if they were to remain in office.
This was partly successful as many sinecures and pensions remained.
How did the influence of the aristocracy decline?
The reform acts extended the franchise to voters in industrial areas less controlled by the aristocracy.
The Secret Ballot Act 1872 reduced the power of local aristocratic patrons by preventing them from knowing how their tenants or workforce voted.
The Corrupt Practices Act 1883 limited how aristocratic wealth could be used to influence elections: before the act, cost of national elections could amount to £2 million for a party whereas after the act, the party spendings were limited eg £10 for a county constituency with 2000 voters, making it accessible for non-aristocratic candidates.
Describe aristocratic influence between 1832-65.
Aristocratic influence remained and may even have strengthened.
In the counties, the increased number of seats strengthened aristocratic control over elections and choice of MPs.
Tenants of agricultural land, who were enfranchised by the Chandos clause, depended on the goodwill of landowners and voted in accordance with their wishes.
How did the Ballot act 1872 cause a decline in aristocratic influence?
Introduced secret ballot where voters could vote without fear of intimidation.
Before this, voting was conducted openly as voters publicly declared their choice of candidate, allowing powerful individuals (aristocrats) to exert influence and pressure on voters to support their preferred candidate.
Voters gained more privacy in expressing political preference, made choices based on own beliefs and reduced the impact of aristocratic influence on electoral outcomes.
May have contributed to the increase of bribery, did not completely remove coercion as aristocrats still had their economic ties and power with their communities so could still sway their dependant tenant’s voting choices.
How did the Corrupt Practices Act 1883 cause a decline in aristocratic influence?
Introduced strict regulation on electoral expenses, imposing limits on campaign spending.
Before this, wealthy individuals would use their financial resources to gain an unfair advantage in elections.
Levelled the playing field by making it more difficult for aristocrats to dominate elections through lavish campaign expenditures.
How did the creation of single member constituencies 1885 cause a decline in aristocratic influence?
The Redistribution Act 1885 created single member constituencies.
It placed greater emphasis on candidates connection to the local community and their ability to address local concerns and interests.
Made aristocratic influence because of their wealth less significant as voters increasingly sought representatives who understood the needs of the local constituency.
Describe the campaign by the House of Lords in 1906-8.
Aimed to destroy social reform legislation such as the Education Bill 1906 and the abolishment of plural voting.
Were careful not to attack measures that might cause conflict with organised labour such as Workmen’s Compensation Act 1906- dealt with the interests of those injured at work.
Limited government response to House of Lords activities- passed resolutions condemning the actions of the Upper House.
Describe the remodelling of the liberal government in 1908 following the resignation of Campbell-Bannerman.
Asquith became Prime Minister.
Lord George’s (chancellor of the Exchequer) move to make a budget aimed at increasing government revenue because pensions (1908) and the demands for naval expansion could no be funded by existing taxation.
House of Lords rejected Lord George’s three measures: tax on unearned increase in land values, tax on undeveloped land, supertax on incomes above £8000 a year. They thought it was class based assault on the aristocracy.
House of Commons then resolved parliament and election called for January 1910 as the House of Lords action breached the constitution.
Liberal 274 seats, Conservative 272 seats.
What did the January 1910 election lead to?
Government sought to restrict the power of the House of Lords.
Government introduced parliament bill to House of Commons to establish the primacy of the House of Commons over the House of Lords in April 1910.
The bill was disrupted by King Edward VIII’s death in May so successor George V was uncertain how to act.
The King agreed to Asquith’s request of a second general election and the creation of sufficient liberal peers to ensure the passage of the parliament bill through the House of Lords.
How did the decline in the wealth of the nobility from 1880 cause a decline in aristocratic influence?
Late 19th century saw significant economic shift such as the rise in industrialisation and globalisation.
Farmers struggled to compete with imports of cheap American corn as their wealth derived from their land that produced agricultural goods.
With declining income, the nobility lost much of their influence over politics as their ability to fund political campaigns and maintain their position in the political system deteriorated.
