Reasons For Passing Great 1832

Question 1

Declining Tory Hegemony

Answer 1

Showing signs of division over the Catholic emancipation in Ireland - the whigs saw this as an opportunity to break Tory dominance but they secured another term in office

Question 2

The resignation of Lord Liverpool and Tory crisis

Answer 2

Feb 1827 - Liverpool resigned due to a stroke so there was a power vacuum so opportunity for opposition. In the space of 11 months the Tories had 3 different leaders , the 3rd being Duke of Wellington who took office in August 1828

Question 3

Tory crisis: Catholic emancipation

Answer 3

Split the party in 1829 the liberals accepting and the ultras rejecting which reduced public confidence and political possibility for the Whig Earl Grey to consider extending the vote for political popularity

Question 4

Middle class pressure

Answer 4

The motivatio for Whig reform was a growing awareness that the new middle class wanted greater political power 
Force for change = affluent, well educated and a strong sense of purpose who earned their fortunes Through their own hard work - they were vital for the economy so were keen not to alienate its members

Question 5

Passage of the act

Answer 5

The 1st and 2nd bills = march 1831 measure of reform was presented to parliament but didn’t include secret ballot and uniform voting qualifications but disenfranchised 100 rotten boroughs and redistribute their seats to industrial towns but struggled to get through commons

Question 6

Riots and the 3rd reform bill

Answer 6

Following the electoral success of the whigs riots broke out when the reform bill was blocked e.g Bristol riots - 3 days, 13 killed or wounded and a cavalry charge ended it , threat cause Bristol was the largest port on the west coast

Question 7

3rd bill

Answer 7

Reduction in a number of boroughs, who were going to lose MP’s, newboroughs given MPs. By 1832 the bill had reached the House of Lords but blocked by Torys

Question 8

The days of may

Answer 8

Resignation of grey led to the king asking Wellington to form a new Tory gov. And the public response = m/c withdrew their savings and investments from banks - in 10 days £1.8 million removed so Wellington found it difficult since the country was so against him. Therefore the king asked grey with the promise he would have Whig peers if needed

Question 9

Long term : when was the London society for constitution information founded

Answer 9

1870- which proposed public awareness of the need for reform

Question 10

What did the Tory William Pitt propose in 1785

Answer 10

The disenfranchisement of 36 boroughs and the redistribution of seats to counties

Question 11

Copenhagen fields

Answer 11

1795 - 100000 people attended a rally for political reform

Question 12

When was lord Liverpool in government

Answer 12

1812-1827

Question 13

How many soldiers returned from the napoleonic wars

Answer 13

400,000

Question 14

Peterloo massacre

Answer 14

1819- 15 people died when a cavalry charged into a crowd of 60,000 people

Question 15

Reaction from the government to peterloo

Answer 15

Crushed by the 6 acts and the suspension of the habeus corpus

Question 16

When were the poor harvests

Answer 16

1828-29

Question 17

Death of what king and what impact

Answer 17

Death of george IV replaced by William IV who was more pro-reform

Question 18

What tactic did earl grey use to pass the reform act

Answer 18

The prospect of creating 50 new Whig peers to counterbalance Tory dominance

Question 19

What encouraged the British elite to consider reform

Answer 19

July revolution 1830 which led to King Charles X being overthrown