Parliamentary Reform - The Changing Influence of the Crown and Aristocracy c1780

Question 1

The extent of aristocratic influence c1780 - What were many constituencies subject to and what were these called?

Answer 1

Many constituencies were essentially controlled by the crown or an aristocratic patron, known as a pocket borough

Question 2

The extent of aristocratic influence c1780 - What led to aristocratic domination of constituencies?

Answer 2

The open voting system, limited franchise, and lack of legislation to prevent bribery meant that there was strong pressure to support the local aristocratic patron

Question 3

The extent of aristocratic influence c1780 - Examples of aristocratic domination of constituencies - Number of elections in total and in Cornwall/Lancashire between 1701 and 1831?

Answer 3

Between 1701 and 1831 there were 29 general elections, but some small boroughs in Lancashire and Cornwall appear to have had no elections because the patron either stood as an MP himself or selected an MP

Question 4

The extent of aristocratic influence c1780 - What happened to Gatton in 1801 and in 1830?

Answer 4

In 1801, the rotten borough Gatton sold for £90,000 and later in 1830 for £180,000 (£9 million in today’s money)

Question 5

The extent of aristocratic influence c1780 - Was aristocratic influence a guarenteed victory - EG Sir James Lowther and Lord Penrhyn

Answer 5

However it was not a guaranteed victory – in pocket boroughs, voters could seek to sell their votes for up to £10 each (£500 today) – in 1780, Sir James Lowther lost the Whitehaven election when his tenants turned against him – he had to threaten to cut the supply of coal to win their support – In 1830, Lord Penrhyn spent £30,000 bribing the electors in Liverpool and still lost the election

Question 6

The extent of aristocratic influence c1780 - Significance of the Lords for aristocratic influence?

Answer 6

In addition to the elections of the HoC, the aristocracy exercised strong influence through the Lords – this unelected chamber had a powerful role in legislation as they could influence or even block laws that were being passed

Question 7

The extent of the influence of the Crown 1780 - How did the Crown exercise influence in P?

Answer 7

The Crown exercised influence in P through the appointment of gov ministers – after the elections, it was the monarch’s responsibility to select the politician that they thought would be the most suitable PM – this need not be from the party with the most seats

Question 8

The extent of the influence of the Crown in 1780 - What was the role of George III and how did he influence P (EGs)

Answer 8

George III (1760-1820) took a very direct role in politics – as well as selecting the PM, he influenced P through patronage by promising offices and peerages to MPs in return for political support – in 1776 he recommended 10 new peerages to be created – 7 of these were for MPs to whom he had made earlier promises

Question 9

Economic reforms in the 1780s - What was the situation about concerns regarding the King’s influence over gov and what was this exemplified by?

Answer 9

By 1780, there was a growing concern over the way that the King was able to influence govs through patronage – this was exemplified by the gov’s failure in the American War of Independence – the rising costs had been funded by increasing taxes – politicians pointed out that contracts for military supplies had been given to family and friends of MPs to win support for the gov – this led to accusations of corruption and inefficiency

Question 10

Economic reforms in the 1780s - What was proposed in 1780, what did this say, what did this propose, and who was this championed by?

Answer 10

In 1780, a motion for ‘economic reform’ was proposed by – this stated that ‘the power of the Crown has increase, is increasing, and ought to be diminished’ – it proposed reducing the number of offices that could be awarded, and was ‘economical’ in the sense that it would reduce gov costs – this was championed by Edmund Burke, who thought that the reduction of Crown patronage would weaken growing calls for P reform

Question 11

Economic reforms in the 1780s - How was economic reform seen by its supporters?

Answer 11

Although really an attack on the Crown’s power, it was seen by supporters as an attack on the unpopular gov of Lord North rather than George III – the bill was passed and reduced the number of offices that the Crown could award

Question 12

The decease in the power of the Crown 1780-1801 - Example of the Crown still having influence?

Answer 12

The Crown still had influence – in 1782, an alliance gov between Fox and North formed – King George III refused to support them with patronage, which weakened their gov and later dismissed them

Question 13

The decease in the power of the Crown 1780-1801 - What happened after the dismissal of the Fox/North coalition?

Answer 13

George III appointed William Pitt the Younger as PM from 1783-1801 – Pitt had a small following of MPs since the majority had supported the Fox/North coalition and refused to support a replacement gov – Pitt had to built coalitions by compromise and negotiation, something that had not been as important to other PMs

Question 14

The decease in the power of the Crown 1780-1801 - What did Pitt’s appointment lead to and what was the impact on this on the crown?

Answer 14

This led to the rise of Cabinet govs, where decisions were made in discussion by the Cabinet Council, a group of core ministers – supported by his Cabinet, Pitt won a majority in the 1784 election – the growth of Pitt’s cabinet govs, combined with the weakened importance of patronage after 1780, meant that the crown became less influential in politics

Question 15

The changing influence of the Crown and aristocracy after 1801 - What did the reform acts progressively do?

Answer 15

The reform acts extended the franchise progressively to voters in industrial areas which were less controlled by the aristocracy

Question 16

The changing influence of the Crown and aristocracy after 1801 - What weakened the influence of aristocratic patrons?

Answer 16

The process of removing the rotten and pocket boroughs and redistributing seats weakened the influence of aristocratic patrons

Question 17

The changing influence of the Crown and aristocracy after 1801 - Examples of the Crown losing choice of PM (1834 and 1880)?

Answer 17

The Crown lost control over the choice of PM – in 1834, following tensions with the Whigs over the 1832 Act, William IV removed Melbourne as PM of a majority Whig Parliament, and attempted to replace him with Robert Peel in a Tory Cabinet – this failed and Melbourne was reappointed – in 1880 Queen Victoria wanted to appoint Lord Harrington as PM, but was pressured by the Libs into appointing Gladstone

Question 18

The changing influence of the Crown and aristocracy after 1801 - What was the bedchamber crisis?

Answer 18

The independence of the monarchy was safeguarded in 1839 during the so-called ‘Bedchamber Crisis’ – Victoria agreed to appoint Con Peel as head of a minority Tory gov but Peel refused to accept unless the Queen’s companions, mainly wives of Whig ministers, were replaced with Tory wives – Victoria refused and Melbourne instead created a Whig gov – this established clearly the boundaries of the constitutional monarchy – it showed that the monarch could not freely appoint minority govs but also that P had a limited influence over the monarch

Question 19

The changing influence of the Crown and aristocracy after 1801 - What happened to the number of MPs from industrial backgrounds vs the number of aristocratic MPs by 1885?

Answer 19

By 1885, the number of MPs from industrial and commercial backgrounds was mor than the number from landowning elite

Question 20

The changing influence of the Crown and aristocracy after 1801 - How did the passing of the 1832 Act undermine the role of the Crown and the Aristocracy?

Answer 20

The passing of the 1832 Act undermined the role of the Crown and the aristocracy – popular pressure (riots in Bristol, a march of 100,000 led by the BPU, media pressure from the Times and the threat of a ‘run on the banks’ by reformers) was instrumental – the King was pressured to agree to create sufficient new members of the HoL to push the bill through if the HoL blocked it – both the Lords and the King had been intimidated by Grey and the reformist movement – the Lords had backed down on a bill that they had twice rejected

Question 21

The changing influence of the Crown and aristocracy after 1801 - What did the 1872 Secret Ballot Act do to the power of the aristocracy?

Answer 21

The 1872 Act reduced the power of the local aristocratic, exp in county constituencies, by preventing them from knowing how their tenants and workforce voted

Question 22

The changing influence of the Crown and aristocracy after 1801 - What did the 1883 Act do to the aristocratic influence and how did this differ from 1880?

Answer 22

The 1883 Act limited how aristocratic wealth could be used to influence elections – in the 1880 election, costs for a national election could amount to £2 million for a party (over £1 billion in today’s money) – after 1883, parties were limited in what they could spend EG only £710 for a county constituency with 2000 votes – this made it accessible for non-aristocratic candidates

Question 23

The Parliament Act 1911 - What was the reason behind this Act (what did Lloyd George propose)?

Answer 23

This was the most important weakening of aristocratic power – in 1909, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lloyd George proposed a ‘People’s Budget’ to the Commons – essentially a higher income tax for the wealthy

Question 24

The Parliament Act 1911 - What do the Lords traditionally do and how did this change here?

Answer 24

Traditionally, the Lords did not interfere with financial bills, but the Con Lords argued that this was an exception since is attacked the rights of landowners

Question 25

The Parliament Act 1911 - What did the Lords do to the People’s Budget and what did this lead to?

Answer 25

The Lords rejected the bill, leading to a general election in 1910 – the result was a close Lib victory – a new bill was proposed to limit the ability of the Lords to block financial bills – the exact content of the bill was hotly contested, from some who wanted very moderate change to a more radical Lib wing which wanted to replace the Lords with a second elected chamber

Question 26

The Parliament Act 1911 - What conditions did George V give for his support of the bill and what did this lead to?

Answer 26

George V agreed to support the bill as long as a second election was held – the second 1910 general election was almost identical in result to the first, and the Parliament Bill was passed in 1911, introducing a number of changes

Question 27

The Parliament Act 1911 - What were 5 changes in the 1911 Parliament Bill (4 changes 1 constant)

Answer 27

• The Lords only being able to delay a bill for two years after it was passed – this severely weakened the Lords’ ability to block laws
• The Lords could not delay or amend a financial bill
• The time between general elections was reduced from seven years to a maximum of five years
• Salaries of £400 were introduced for MPs, making the role accessible working class reps
• The Lords would remain unelected and hereditary