BRITAIN Breadth 1- RPAs Flashcards

1
Q

When was a motion passed by the House of Commons criticising the power of the Crown?

A

1780

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2
Q

When did the war of American Independence end?

A

1783

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3
Q

Why did the demand for parliamentary reform decline in 1783?

A

Taxes and government expenditure had been cut once the American war had ended

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4
Q

When was the French Revolution?

A

1789-99

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5
Q

When were the Napoleonic wars?

A

1793-1815

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6
Q

Why did the calls for parliamentary reform quieten down during the Napoleonic wars?

A

Government action to stifle demands; patriotic sense of duty to focus on winning the war

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7
Q

After the end of the Napoleonic wars in 1815, which group began to call for reform again?

A

Working classes; radical campaign for manhood suffrage

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8
Q

Why did many of the middle classes oppose parliamentary reform from 1815-20?

A

Widespread belief among the middle and upper classes that only those who owned property had the right to vote

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9
Q

From 1815-20, what type of parliamentary reform did the middle classes favour?

A

Vote being given to the new middle classes; better representation of densely populated industrial areas in north/Midlands

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10
Q

What was the smallest and the largest county population-wise in 1815?

A

Rutland- 19,000
Lancashire- 1,300,000

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11
Q

What is an example of a large city that had no seats of its own in 1815 and what was this cities population?

A

Manchester, with a population of 180,000

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12
Q

What was the representation like in Cornwall in 1815? (how many borough seats for what population)

A

21 borough seats despite population of 192,000

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13
Q

What was Earl Grey’s attitude to reform and what was his political career like?

A

Supporter of moderate parliamentary reform to avoid revolution; spent most of career in opposition; leader of Whigs through years of Tory domination; steered the Reform Bill through Parliament as PM

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14
Q

Why did the demand for reform become quieter in the 1820s?

A

Economy revived

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15
Q

As a result of the revival of the economy, between when were there no petitions for reform presented to Parliament?

A

1824-9

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16
Q

Where was known as the notorious rotten boroughs?

A

Dunwich; Old Sarum

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17
Q

What did Parliament agree to in 1821?

A

To disenfranchise the corrupt Cornish borough of Grampound and allot its 2 seats to Yorkshire

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18
Q

Which king was majorly opposed to parliamentary reform and the whigs, unlike his successor?

A

George IV

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19
Q

What 3 political events dramatically changed the political scene between 1829-30?

A

Passing of Catholic Emancipation; accession to the throne of King William IV; emergence of political unions

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20
Q

When was the Act of Catholic Emancipation passed?

A

1829

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21
Q

What was the Act of Catholic Emancipation?

A

Act of Parliament allowing Roman Catholics the right to become MPs or hold other public office

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22
Q

Who was the PM and the leader of the Tory party in the House of Commons during the passing of the Act of Catholic Emancipation?

A

Duke of Wellington; Sir Robert Peel

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23
Q

Why was the Act of Catholic Emancipation passed?

A

Tory government feared the outbreak of full-scale rebellion in Ireland after a popular campaign

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24
Q

Why did many Tories never forgive the PM/Tory leader for the passing of the Act of Catholic Emancipation?

A

Saw it as a betrayal of their party, the Church of England and an assault on the British constitution

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25
Q

When did King George IV die?

A

June 1830

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26
Q

Why did the Tory government in 1830 suffer further losses in the election and fail to gain a majority in Parliament?

A

Recent poor harvests; rising unemployment; revival of radical demands for reform

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27
Q

When was the second French revolution and what did it involve?

A

July 1830; led to the downfall of the Bourbon monarchy and the establishment of a new king

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28
Q

When did political unions reappear?

A

1829-30

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29
Q

Why did political unions reappear? (3)

A

Deteriorating economic conditions; result of recent general elections; events in France

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30
Q

Birmingham Political Union (BPU)

A

Formed in 1830; attracted middle and working-class support, although Attwood did not believe in universal suffrage

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31
Q

Who was the BPU led by?

A

Thomas Attwood

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32
Q

How many people did the first meeting of the BPU attract?

A

15,000

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33
Q

What had resulted in the formation of the BPU?

A

Attwood had noticed, in the recent campaign in Ireland, the impact public pressure and mass support could have on the government

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34
Q

Which political union was dominated by artisans and craftsmen?

A

Metropolitan Political Union

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35
Q

Who led the Metropolitan Political Union?

A

Founded in London by Henry Hunt

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36
Q

Which party was appointed in November 1830?

A

Whigs

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37
Q

What did the Whig government of November 1830 decide to make a priority?

A

Parliamentary reform

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38
Q

When was the first Reform Bill presented to the House of Commons?

A

March 1831

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39
Q

Which controversial proposals did the first draft of the Reform Bill 1832 make?

A

Deprived 60 boroughs of both their MPs and another 47 of one of their MPs; awarded many of these seats to new, industrial towns; established a uniform voting qualification in the boroughs

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40
Q

What was the uniform voting qualification proposed in the first draft of the Reform Bill 1832 in the boroughs?

A

All those who owned or rented a house worth £10 a year in rent would be enfranchised

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41
Q

Why did Sir Robert Peel and other Tories oppose the first draft of the Reform Bill 1832?

A

Believed it would not be ‘final’

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42
Q

What happened when a vote was taken on the second reading of the Reform Bill 1832?

A

Government won by a single vote- April 1831

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43
Q

Why was the king reluctant to agree to the Whigs’ requests after the defeat of the bill in April 1831? (3)

A

He feared revolution because of the General election just 6 months before; recent poor harvests; riots and demonstrations

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44
Q

What did the Whigs demand after the defeat of the bill in April 1831?

A

Asked king to dissolve Parliament and call a new election

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45
Q

How did Earl Grey persuade the king to give into the Whig demands after the defeat of the bill April 1831?

A

Reform of Parliament would pacify public opinion and cause the agitation in the country to die down

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46
Q

Which major newspaper supported reform and gave huge coverage to meetings and petitions?

A

The Times

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47
Q

How did the Whigs do in the general election of June 1831?

A

Swept back to power with a majority of over 130 seats

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48
Q

How many pro-reform candidates were successful in the general election of June 1831 in the counties?

A

Gained 76/82 county seats

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49
Q

What was the main change made in the second draft of the Reform Bill 1832?

A

Whigs agreed to a Tory amendment that extended the vote in the counties to tenants renting land worth £50 a year, not just to those owning property worth £2 a year

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50
Q

When was the second attempt of the Reform Bill eventually passed by the House of Commons?

A

September 1831

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51
Q

How many people attended the march organised by Attwood in Birmingham in October 1831?

A

100,000- ranging from bankers to miners

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52
Q

How was the BPU involved with putting pressure on the House of Lords to pass the Reform Bill?

A

Thomas Attwood had a meeting with Grey- Attwood was planning a big demonstration and Grey hinted that then was the time for the BPU to make itself felt

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53
Q

Where did riots break out when the House of Lords rejected the Reform Bill?

A

Nottingham; Derby; Bristol

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54
Q

Who was one of the main targets of the riots in Bristol about the House of Lords’ defeat of the Reform Bill?

A

Bishop, who had voted against the bill in the lords; his palace was burned down

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55
Q

Why were the Whigs, Tories, aristocracy and middle classes shocked by the violence after the House of Lords’ defeat of the Reform Bill?

A

Could discredit the reform movement; might scare the government into backing down and dropping their proposals

56
Q

At this time, who was one of the few radical MPs in Parliament?

A

Henry Hunt

57
Q

When did the Whigs introduce a third draft of the Reform Bill to Parliament and how was it received?

A

December 1831; passed the Commons with a majority of 2:1

58
Q

When did Grey introduce the third draft of the Reform Bill to the House of Lords?

A

April 1832

59
Q

How long did the debate about the third draft of the Reform Bill last for in the House of Lords?

A

5 days

60
Q

When did the Lords pass the Reform Bill?

A

15th April 1832

61
Q

What happened when the Reform Bill reached the House of Lords’ committee?

A

Rejected on 7th May 1832

62
Q

‘Days of May’

A

Tense days in early May 1832 when the king refused to create new peers; Wellington tried to form a new government; some huge demonstrations were held and there was even talk of armed conflict

63
Q

Who was determined to do all they could to block any Tory administration in 1832?

A

Political unions

64
Q

When did the 1st Representation of the People Act pass?

A

June 1832

65
Q

After the 1832 RPA, when did the Liberals introduce reform bills?

A

1859-69

66
Q

When did PM Viscount Palmerston die?

A

October 1865

67
Q

Why was the death of Viscount Palmerston so significant?

A

Vigorously opposed to reform

68
Q

Who became PM after Viscount Palmerston’s death?

A

Russell

69
Q

Why was reform placed on the political agenda once more when Russell became PM?

A

Steered the 1832 Act through parliament

70
Q

What made the passing of the 1867 RPA different to that of the 1832 RPA?

A

No substantial pressure/real grievances outside parliament for reform before 1865

71
Q

When was the American Civil War?

A

1861-65

72
Q

When was the Reform Union formed?

A

1864

73
Q

When was the Crimean War?

A

1854-56

74
Q

What did the Reform Union promote?

A

Moderate extension of franchise; secret ballot

75
Q

What had allowed for an easier distribution of information by 1865?

A

Growth of mass-circulation newspapers

76
Q

Who did the Reform Union gain support among?

A

Prosperous middle classes

77
Q

Why did the Reform Union gain support?

A

Reform seen as a means of furthering commercial interests, as well as challenging inefficiency and waste of national government

78
Q

When was the Reform League formed?

A

1865

79
Q

How did the Reform League compare to the Reform Union?

A

Much larger and more formidable; committed to universal manhood suffrage; strong following among trade unionists and skilled working class

80
Q

What position did Gladstone hold in Russell’s government?

A

Chancellor of the Exchequer

81
Q

When did Gladstone introduce the 1st draft of the 1867 RPA to the HoC?

A

March 1866

82
Q

What were Gladstone’s initial proposals in his 1st draft of the 1867 RPA?

A

Reduced borough franchise from £10 to £7; extended county franchise to tenants paying annual rent of £14 or more

83
Q

How many people did Gladstone originally propose to add to the franchise in the 1867 RPA?

A

200,000 in the boroughs; 170,000 in the counties

84
Q

Who led the opposition to the 1st draft of the 1867 RPA? (2)

A

Uncompromising Whigs, led by the Adullamites; Disraeli and the Conservatives

85
Q

What happened to the 1st draft of the 1867 RPA?

A

Bill failed and gov resigned in June; minority Conservative gov took office

86
Q

Who led the Conservative government that took over from Russell and Gladstone?

A

Lord Derby as PM; Benjamin Disraeli as Chancellor of the Exchequer

87
Q

When had Derby and Disraeli briefly hold office pre-1867?

A

1852; 1858-59

88
Q

Why did Derby and Disraeli take up the issue of franchise reform?

A

To restore image of the Tory Party

89
Q

How did the Reform League protest against the failure of the 1st draft of the 1867 RPA?

A

Hyde Park riot July 1866

90
Q

Why did the economic situation decline dramatically in 1866?

A

May- financial house of Overend and Gurney collapsed; heavy rains wiped out many crops; virulent rinderpest disease wiped out many herds of cattle; cotton famine in northern England

91
Q

What were the factors promoting reform in 1867?

A

Dramatic rise in circulation of the popular press; Reform Union and Reform League; economic distress; Conservative Party ready to take up cause

92
Q

Who led the resistance to the 1867 RPA within the Conservatives?

A

Cranborne; later Lord Salisbury

93
Q

When did Disraeli introduce his reform proposals?

A

February 1867

94
Q

When did Disraeli introduce the 2nd draft of the 1867 RPA?

A

18 March 1867

95
Q

Which Tory ministers immediately resigned when Disraeli initially introduced his reform proposals?

A

Cranborne, Carnarvon; General Peel

96
Q

How many people came to the Hyde Park meeting organised by the Reform League and the Reform Union?

A

200,000

97
Q

What is a compounder

A

Someone who paid all their rent to their landlord, and then there landlord made tax (or rates) contributions on their behalf

98
Q

What was Hodgkinson’s amendment and how many men did it enfranchise? (1867 RPA)

A

Abolished distinction between compounders and those who paid their rates in person; enfranchised 500,000 men

99
Q

When did the 1867 RPA pass?

A

August 1867

100
Q

What was the size of the electorate after the 1867 RPA?

A

2 million

101
Q

How many people was the county electorate increased from and to by the 1867 RPA?

A

Expanded from 540,000 to 800,000

102
Q

After the 1867 RPA, which constituency drew its majority from the working class?

A

Sheffield

103
Q

What proportion of adult males could vote after the passing of the 1867 RPA?

A

1/3

104
Q

What was the common ground between the bills introduced by Liberal and Conservative governments in 1866-67?

A

Neither party was prepared to concede the vote to the ‘residuum’

105
Q

What did the RPA 1867 mark?

A

Beginning of a clear shift of political influence

106
Q

How did the parties try and win the support of the electorate after the 1867 RPA? (2)

A

Passed reforms throughout the 1870s; established national party organisations

107
Q

What made the 1884 RPA different to the two previous RPAs?

A

No significant pressure from inside or outside parliament for further changes to electoral system

108
Q

Who pushed for the 1884 RPA?

A

Gladstone

109
Q

What were the results of the 1880 election?

A

Returned Gladstone to office for 2nd time

110
Q

How did the first draft of the 1884 RPA fare in Parliament?

A

Passed easily through HoC; blocked in HoL, thanks to intervention of Lord Salisbury (Conservative Leader)

111
Q

Why was Salisbury against the 1884 RPA?

A

Feared it would weaken Conservative Party dramatically and establish Liberal dominance over towns and countryside

112
Q

Why was Gladstone so eager to pass the 1884 RPA?

A

New county voters, such as small tenant farmers and agricultural labourers, would be more likely to vote Liberal

113
Q

What was the official reason Gladstone gave for the introduction of his 1884 RPA?

A

Difficult to justify maintenance of separate borough and county franchises

114
Q

What was the difference between the borough and county franchises pre-1884 RPA?

A

Boroughs: Household suffrage and those who rented for >£10
Counties: Property with >£5 a year, rented for >£12

115
Q

When did Queen Victoria urge the parties to negotiate the end of their deadlock over the 1884 RPA? (Month)

A

October 1884

116
Q

What was the Arlington Street compact? (1884 RPA)

A

Tories would allow 1884 RPA to pass as long as it was followed by major redistribution of seats

117
Q

What was the percentage increase in the electorate as a result of the 1884 RPA?

A

Rose by 84%

118
Q

What percentage of adult males did the 1884 RPA still exclude from the franchise?

A

40%

119
Q

How did the 1884 RPA make the franchise equal? (2)

A

Now universal male householder suffrage, renters >£10 also enfranchised

120
Q

What was the electorate after the 1918 RPA?

A

21,000,000

121
Q

What propotion did the electorate grow by after the 1918 RPA?

A

3 times

122
Q

How many women did the 1918 RPA give the vote to?

A

8 million

123
Q

When had a general election been due, which was postponed due to WW1?

A

1915

124
Q

Who drew up the proposal for the 1918 RPA & where did they do it & when?

A

Representatives of the two main political parties at the Speakers Conference 1916

125
Q

What did the women enfranchised in the 1918 RPA have to be, as well as aged 30 or over?

A

Householders/wives of householders; university graduates; renting property valued at £5 per annum

126
Q

How were political leaders persuaded that it wouldn’t be dangerous to introduce universal suffrage for both men and women after 1918?

A

General elections of 1918-24 saw little change in voting habits

127
Q

Which organisation continued to campaign for female suffrage after the 1918 RPA?

A

National Union of Societies for Equal Citizenship (NUSEC)

128
Q

What proprtion of employed women could vote before the Equal Franchise Act 1928?

A

1/15

129
Q

How many female Conservative Party members were there by 1928?

A

Over a million

130
Q

What decade were women more likely than men to vote Conservative?

A

1920s

131
Q

When did Stanley Baldwin support equal suffrage from?

A

1924

132
Q

When did the Conservative Party agree to extend the franchise to women aged 21 and over?

A

1927

133
Q

How did the Daily Mail attempt to oppose equal suffrage in 1927?

A

Daily Mail published several articles claiming that reform meant giving the vote to ‘flappers’ or young, politically ignorant women.

134
Q

What did opponents of equal franchise argue about it in 1927?

A

It would bring about feminisation of political culture

135
Q

How many votes did the 1928 RPA pass by? (how many votes for to how many votes against)

A

387 to 10 votes

136
Q

How many women did the 1928 RPA add to the electorate?

A

5.2 million

137
Q

How many female voters and how many male voters were there after the 1928 RPA?

A

14.5 million women; 12.3 million men