1.1

Question 1

What percentage of the population could take part in elections?

Answer 1

2%

Question 2

Examples of unrepresented COUNTIES

Answer 2

Bedford had a population of 2000 whilst York had grown to a population 24,000 and did not receive anymore MPs-both received 2

Question 3

The old political system was

Answer 3

outdated and unreflective of the modernising nation

Question 4

House of Commons represented

Answer 4

ordinary citizens

Question 5

House of Lords represented

Answer 5

the nobility

Question 6

The political system was established by

Answer 6

a convention instead a codified model

Question 7

Because of a conventional system

Answer 7

it was easy for corrupt practises to go virtually without censure

Question 8

The king ruled with

Answer 8

hereditary power

Question 9

To sit in the house of lords it required

Answer 9

a peerage

Question 10

To sit in the house of commons it required the candidate

Answer 10

to win national election

Question 11

what was the Eligibility for voting?

Answer 11

it depended on wealth. You had to own property worth at least £300 per year depending on the constituency.

Question 12

The counties

Answer 12

were the rural shires in Britain

Question 13

How many MPs did counties return to Westminster regardless of size?

Answer 13

2

Question 14

What was the problem with the county vote?

Answer 14

it returned 2 MPs regardless of size

Question 15

The boroughs

Answer 15

were the urban towns that over represented small boroughs

Question 16

How many contested elections were there?

Answer 16

2 - as the leading families chose to divide representation among themselves rather than bribe voters in a contested election

Question 17

What did the lack of secret ballot cause?

Answer 17

the opportunity for intimidation from landowners and employers

Question 18

what did Pocket boroughs allow?

Answer 18

wealthy interests to ensure their political dominance as if they controlled the borough they could influence the political power and further their own ambitions

Question 19

An example of a Pocket borough

Answer 19

The pocket borough of Gatton, Surrey was ‘bought’ in an auction for £90,000 so the owner didn’t have to stand for election against a rival

Question 20

What was the consequence of the system?

Answer 20

the wealthy controlled the representation in the Commons, the vote did not adequately reflect the different interests in the country

Question 21

What was the distribution of seats based upon?

Answer 21

the importance of the constituencies at the time of the creation

Question 22

An example of a town that is over represented due to the old political structure

Answer 22

Old Sarum has mostly disappeared by the 1700 and despite having fewer residents still returned 2 MPS

Question 23

Which cities had no representation?

Answer 23

Manchester - population of 182,000
Birmingham - population of 144,000,
not recognised as a parliamentary boroughs

Question 24

Who created the London Based society for Constitutional Information and when?

Answer 24

This organisation was created by Major John Cartwright in 1780

Question 25

What did the London Based Society for Constitutional information do?

Answer 25

The sought to promote public awareness of the need for reform by pamphleteering.

Question 26

What was the impact of the London Based society for Constitutional Information?

Answer 26

Raised the issue for reform in a more public sphere and ensured that reform would not be forgotten

Question 27

What did William Pitt propose in 1785?

Answer 27

to disfranchise 36 of the worst boroughs and redistribute their seats to larger counties but was defeated by 74 votes in the commons

Question 28

What was the impact of the French Revolution?

Answer 28

British citizens began to question the legitimacy of the political system and saw it as being ruled by the nobility.

Question 29

What did Thomas Paine write?

Answer 29

Rights of Man

Question 30

What did the Rights of Man state?

Answer 30

condemned the inequalities of the existing system

Question 31

How many copies of the Rights of Man sell by 1793?

Answer 31

200,000

Question 32

What did Paine's work emphasise?

Answer 32

the natural rights belonging to a human being and called for radical reform. wanted a government ruled by the people

Question 33

what was the impact of the Rights of man?

Answer 33

it inspired reformers who sought to bring greater democracy to the country

Question 34

Sheffield Society

Answer 34

in 1792 had nearly 10,000 signatures on a petition calling for manhood suffrage

Question 35

London Corresponding Society

Answer 35

On October 26th 1795 a demonstration was organised at Copenhagen Fields which attracted more than 100,000 people

Question 36

what did the growing number of organisations being created suggest?

Answer 36

the growing participation suggested that reform was a a growing pressing issue for the country

Question 37

When was the Treason Act passed?

Answer 37

1795

Question 38

What did the Treason Act state?

Answer 38

allowing the death penalty for any treasonable activity, including political meetings and the publication of seditious material that might challenge government authority.

Question 39

What happened in 1816?

Answer 39

The harvest failed and food was in scarce supply so food prices were raised, with the war over soldiers returned home looking for work and therefore there was a decline in wages.

Question 40

Henry Hunt

Answer 40

made speeches about reform which raised political awareness and spread throughout the country when the country was in economic distress

Question 41

When did the Peterloo Massacre take place?

Answer 41

August 16th 1819

Question 42

Where did the Peterloo Massacre take place?

Answer 42

Manchester St Peters Fields

Question 43

How many people attended the Peterloo massacre?

Answer 43

more then 60,000

Question 44

What happened at the Peterloo massacre?

Answer 44

Local magistrates ordered the peaceful protest to be disbanded and Hunt arrested. Using yeomanry the crowds were forcibly dispersed by a sabre charge

Question 45

How many people were killed in the and wounded in the Peterloo massacre?

Answer 45

18 people were killed and more then 400 were wounded

Question 46

What was the immediate outcome of the Peterloo Massacre?

Answer 46

Further repression by the government through a series of Acts designed to strengthen the governments hand against protestors

Question 47

What did the Six Acts introduce?

Answer 47

the banning of a public meetings more then 50 people and death penalty for sedition, gave magistrates more power to search for weapons, protected magistrates from any consequences arising from a persons injury during crowd dispersal at illegal meetings

Question 48

what did the repressive nature of these Acts suggest?

Answer 48

the government was fearful of a violent retaliation from the more aggressive elements of the reform movement who might have seen the brutal event as a invitation to revolt

Question 49

What effect did the Peterloo Massacre have on the middle class?

Answer 49

they dropped their reform intentions and tried to preserve their positions in society

Question 50

What effect did the Peterloo have?

Answer 50

stirred up greater determination to challenge the political regime

Question 51

Who led the attempted assassination on the cabinet?

Answer 51

Arthur Thistlewood

Question 52

What did the jump from public speechmaking to attempted assassination suggest by 1820?

Answer 52

Britain was in a dangerously revolutionary position

Question 53

What was the Corn Law?

Answer 53

this law protected British Farmers from foreign competition. it prohibited the import of foreign corn until the price of domestic corn reached 10 shillings a bushel

Question 54

Why did the new middle class not like the Corn Law?

Answer 54

For employers, in the cities the law forced up bread prices and as this was a staple food product for the poor, employers were forced to raise wages to retain a healthy workforce

Question 55

Why did the middle class think they could voice political opinions ?

Answer 55

As the provider of both employment and much of Britains resources they thought they should have more of a say in how the country was governed. They thought that because the Dominance of the landed gentry was in decline and people migrated into areas for work suppled by themselves they were the new elite

Question 56

Between 1821 and 1829 how much did the gross national product rise by?

Answer 56

16.8% and 25% in manufacturing

Question 57

Why did the government relax their grip on the country between 1820-1829?

Answer 57

The country settled into more wealth and trade within Europe picked up

Question 58

What year was Henry Hunt released from prison?

Answer 58

1822

Question 59

What did Lord John Russell propose in 1822?

Answer 59

to disfranchise 100 of Britains most rotten boroughs and redistribute the seats to the growing industrial cities. The proposal received no support and failed by a large majority

Question 60

What did the denial in Lord John Russel proposal in 1822 suggest?

Answer 60

Those in power continued to reflect the dominance of aristocratic thinking and democracy was a long way off

Question 61

What happened between February and March 1830?

Answer 61

200 petitions were sent to Parliament from those living in rural areas demanding tax reduction. This was because of poor harvest between 1828-1829 and this led to higher food prices

Question 62

Why did the Swing Riots happen?

Answer 62

They received a positive response from parliament in response to their tax reduction request however conditions failed to improve and thus riots broke out

Question 63

How long did the Swing Riots last?

Answer 63

18 months

Question 64

What motivated the Swing riots?

Answer 64

it was not motivated by demands for reform but those in parliament began to see reform as a means to appease the discontent.

Question 65

What happened during the Swing Riots?

Answer 65

hay sticks were burned and authority figures were accused of failing the local people

Question 66

Who supported the Swing Riots cause?

Answer 66

Radical reformers and manufacturers interests

Question 67

What did reformers think of the parliament and how to solve their solution during the Swing Riots ?

Answer 67

They thought that parliament had no real understanding about the problems they faced and that the only logical solution was an increased electorate to include those with knowledge of these issues

Question 68

What did Arthur Thistelwood and his group attempt to do?

Answer 68

A group led by Arthur Thistelwood plotted to assassinate the cabinet whilst dining in Grosvenor Square

Question 69

Why did the attempt assassination on the cabinet fail?

Answer 69

The attempt was found out by the authorities and the group was seized.