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AQA A Level History Industrialisation and the People: Britain 1783-1885 (1F) > Chapter 13 - Grey and Melbourne > Flashcards

Chapter 13 - Grey and Melbourne Flashcards

1
Q

What margin did the Whigs win the 1832 General Election by?

A

479 seats to 179

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2
Q

What were the three main problems faced by the Whig governments of the 1830s?

A
  1. Problems in Ireland, including rural unrest and calls for the Act of Union’s repeal
  2. Loss of several Whig leaders to resignation or retirement
  3. Disagreement between Whigs and Radicals
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3
Q

What problems did Radicals in Parliament cause the Whigs in the 1830s?

A

They queried every institution and tax, and were enthusiastic to push for further reform, despite the Whigs believing that the Great Reform Act had quenched the need for political reform

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4
Q

Who were some examples of influential 1830s Parliamentary radicals?

A

Thomas Attwood, John Arthur Roebuck and William Cobbett

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5
Q

What was the Coercion Act of 1833 and why was it passed?

A

Passed to stop rural Irish unrest and ongoing refusal of Catholic tenants to pay tithe to Anglican clergy, gave wide powers to Irish authorities, including curfews and suppression of disturbances

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6
Q

When did Grey resign as Whig leader?

A

August 1834

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7
Q

Who replaced Grey as Whig leader?

A

Lord Melbourne

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8
Q

When did Grey give up politics altogether?

A

1839

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9
Q

What were major contributing factors in Grey stepping down as PM?

A
  1. Exhaustion after passing an extensive program of reforms
  2. Frustration with problems in Ireland, with the final straw likely being an attempt to dilute his Coercion Act, prompted by O’Connell
  3. A challenge from Lord John Russell over Ireland causing the resignation of several senior Whigs
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10
Q

What were the differing schools of thought amongst Whigs in the early 1830s on how to deal with problems in Ireland?

A

Some, such as Lord John Russell, wanted concessions to be made, whilst others, such as Lord Stanley (Chief Secretary for Ireland) wanted harsher coercion

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11
Q

What reforms preceded the Whigs’ Coercion Act in Ireland?

A

Church and education reforms, including the abolishment of a church tax and the reduction of the power of the Anglican Church in Ireland

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12
Q

What was Lord John Russell’s challenge to Grey’s policies over Ireland?

A

He proposed ‘appropriation’, the use of surplus Irish Church funds for educational and social benefits for the Irish poor

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13
Q

When did King William IV invite Lord Melbourne to form a government for the first time?

A

August 1834

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14
Q

Why did King William IV invite Lord Melbourne to form a government in August 1834?

A

To safeguard him against policies he disliked, as Melbourne had a conservative approach to reform, and did not see any necessity for more after the Great Reform Act

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15
Q

How did Melbourne upset the King during his first administration?

A

First he refused to include Peel and Wellington to create a moderate coalition at the King’s request. Then, he insisted on appointing Lord Russell as Chancellor of the Exchequer, which led to the King, who disliked Russell’s radical tendencies, to dismiss Melbourne’s government

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16
Q

How did Melbourne upset the radical Whigs in his first administration?

A

He excluded them from the Cabinet, which was a mistake as one, Henry Brougham, would not sit back in silence

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17
Q

What calamity befell Melbourne during his first administration, which led to him appointing John Russell as Chancellor?

A

The father of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lord Althorp, died, obliging him to take up his seat in the Lords and vacating the positions of Chancellor and Leader of the Commons

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18
Q

When did the King dismiss Melbourne’s first government?

A

November 1834

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19
Q

Who did the King invite to take over after Melbourne’s first administration and when did this occur?

A

Peel, who took over in December 1834

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20
Q

Was Peel’s first spell as Prime Minister a success?

A

No- the Whigs were angry at the King’s actions which had led to Peel coming to power, so made a concerted effort to bring down his government, which occurred within a few weeks

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21
Q

What was the Lichfield House Compact?

A

A pact which Lord John Russell formed with Daniel O’Connell, which promised Irish support for Whigs in Parliament in return for reforms in Ireland when the Whigs regained power

22
Q

When was the Lichfield House Compact formed?

A

February 1835

23
Q

When did Lord Melbourne become Prime Minister for the second time?

A

April 1835

24
Q

When did the Tories first become known as the Conservatives?

A

1834

25
Q

How did the Lichfield House Compact come to hurt the Whigs?

A

The Irish MPs took the opportunity to call for an end to the Act of Union, which severely discredited the Whig government

26
Q

What happened in the General Election of August 1837?

A

The Whigs lost ground to the Tories, but retained a majority

27
Q

What caused the Whigs to lose momentum after Melbourne returned to power in 1835?

A
  • Quarrels between the Whigs and Radicals
  • Failure to get a reasonable measure through Lords to abolish the system of church rates which was burdensome to nonconformists
28
Q

What was Queen Victoria’s personal political preference upon her accession in 1837?

A

She preferred Melbourne to Peel

29
Q

What did Lord John Russell attempt in 1841?

A

To introduce a free trade budget

30
Q

What problems were there for the Whigs by 1837?

A
  • Budget deficits
  • Higher taxes and an economic crisis which caused high unemployment and discontent
  • No further reforms
  • Melbourne’s brief resignation over a vote of no confidence (was only brief as Peel refused to form a government)
31
Q

What happened at the July 1841 election?

A

The Conservatives under Peel gained a majority

32
Q

How did the Whigs traditionally differ from the Tories?

A

The Whigs were more in favour of a constitutional monarchy, with limited power for the monarch

33
Q

What problems did Peel face when taking over as PM in 1841?

A
  • Unrest from Chartists
  • Difficulties in Ireland with O’Connell
  • Financial concerns due to Whig deficits
  • A responsibility to maintain and develop Whig social reforms
34
Q

How was the Great Reform Act politically advantageous for the Whigs?

A

Got rid of the Tory-dominated rotten and pocket boroughs

35
Q

What was Bentham’s theory of Utilitarianism?

A

The view that minimal government interference in the lives of people would bring the greatest happiness to the greatest number

36
Q

Why did the Whigs and Radicals each blame the other for loss of parliamentary support in the late 1830s?

A

The Whigs thought the Radicals were scaring off moderate support, whilst the Radicals were upset with the Whigs for not being reforming enough

37
Q

Which three people were dropped from the cabinet in 1835?

A

Russell, Brougham and Durham, the most outspoken Whig reformers

38
Q

What were the organisational weaknesses of the Whigs in the late 1830s?

A

They were more of a coalition than a truly united party, and lacked effective organisation

39
Q

Who was largely responsible for the greater organisation of the Tory party after 1832?

A

Francis Bonham, who was appointed by Peel in 1834

40
Q

What were some examples of better Tory organisation after 1832?

A
  • Better use of the Parliamentary whip system
  • More frequent meetings of party members
  • The springing up of local Conservative Party organisations
  • Bonham’s initiatives leading to the formation of a Tory network across areas of the country with strong Tory support
41
Q

Who did Peel keep his distance from after becoming Tory leader?

A

Ultra Tories, who had not forgiven him for passing Catholic Emancipation?

42
Q

What was Peel’s ‘constructive opposition’ tactic?

A

Using his influence to get certain Whig bills through Parliament instead of opposing them for the sake of it, which unnerved the Whigs and strengthened his position

43
Q

How did Peel weaken the Whigs while strengthening the Tories after becoming Conservative leader?

A

By recruiting moderate Whigs such as Lord Stanley and Sir James Graham, who had become uncomfortable with radical influence on the Whigs, into the Conservative Party, with both becoming part of his government in 1841

44
Q

What was Peel’s overall strategy after being elected in 1841?

A

Not to introduce reforms but to stimulate trade and increase prosperity, in which the working classes could take a share

45
Q

When did Peel deliver the Tamworth Manifesto?

A

December 1834

46
Q

What was the message of the Tamworth Manifesto?

A

That moderate reform and accepting the societal changes caused by industrialisation were the way forward

47
Q

What was the single achievement of Peel’s 1834-5 ministry?

A

Setting up the Ecclesiastical Commission, which ironed out anomalies and abuses in the Anglican church and whose recommendations were adopted by Melbourne’s Whigs when they returned to office

48
Q

What brought about a rise in Chartism in 1841-2?

A

An economic slump which caused high unemployment, wage reductions and general distress

49
Q

When did Peel pass the Mines Act?

A

1842

50
Q

What did the 1842 Mines Act do?

A

Prevented women and children working underground

51
Q

When did Peel repeal the Corn Laws?

A

1846

52
Q

When was Peel defeated and forced to resign as PM (in the 1840s)?

A

June 1846

AQA A Level History Industrialisation and the People: Britain 1783-1885 (1F) (27 decks)

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