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British Political Reform (H) > Refom Acts 1832-1928 > Flashcards

Refom Acts 1832-1928 Flashcards

(40 cards)

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1
Q

What political party passed the 1832 reform act

A

WHIGS

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2
Q

Fall of Wellington’s Government

A

1830
Election after DEATH of George IV sees Wellington get back into power as PM but fails to assemble a government due to many MPs being in support of parliamentary reform.
FORCED TO RESIGN
Allows for Earl Grey (Whig leader) to form Whig and reformer government.

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3
Q

Who passed the 1832 Representation of the People Act

A

Lord John Russel (prime minister)
Earl Grey (Whig leader in 1830s)

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4
Q

When was the Catholic Emancipation

A

1830

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5
Q

What does the catholic emancipation do to the Tory group

A

Splits them, so after the next election Duke of Wellington (prime minister) can’t form a government.

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6
Q

Who was the Great Reform act a political advantage for?

A

Whig political group

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7
Q

Who was enfranchised after the Great reform act?

A

Middle Class

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8
Q

What were the voting qualifications after the Great reform act?

A

In boroughs: properties £10 and above, £50 leaseholders
In counties: 40 shilling franchises

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9
Q

What was the electorate before and after ‘32?

A

435000 to 81300 (from only 4% of adult males to 20%)

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10
Q

Impacts of 1832 reform act

A
  • uniform voting rules
  • introduced voting registers
  • increased electorate by 16% of adult males
  • plural voting continued
  • the “hustings” (name for old elections) were not secret and were violent so often were dominated by the wealthy
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11
Q

What are constituencies?

A

A ‘voting area’ - each with one or two MPs to represent

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12
Q

The county franchise pre 1832

A
  • 122 MPs in county seats
  • 40 shilling freehold needed to vote
  • very few could vote - eg: 1% in Middlesex
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13
Q

Borough Franchise:

A
  • parliamentary boroughs - towns granted right to have MPS
  • each borough had different enfranchisement rules
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14
Q

Enfranchisement rules in the boroughs:

A

boroughs where most could vote:
- Scot and Lot - all who contribute shares into local poor fund
- Potwhalloper - all who own a hearth to feed

Minority voter boroughs:
- burgage - someone who owned ‘burgage’ land (wealthy could buy up all the burgage)
- FreeMan - all who were free men
- Corporation - MPs elected by local Corporation - NO ELECTIONs

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15
Q

University Seats

A

Both Oxford and Cambridge got 2 seats each - only graduates could vote!

Also plural voting common.

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16
Q

Overview of the Franchise before 1832:

A
  • lower wealth.social standing unrepresented
  • elections highly influenced by wealth and social status - hustings public
  • before 1832 no elections in 40% of constituencies
  • eg: Edinburgh seat elected by 33 voters
  • decision could also be vetoed by HOL - no changes for benefit of WC passed
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17
Q

Pressures to change the franchise:

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A
  • growth of INDUSTRIAL middle class, often as wealthy as nobility - but no representation
  • changing demographics - huge growth in cities with NO representation
  • 18million —> 27million 1811-1851
  • revolutionary ideas of equality - French revolution and Thomas Paine, and post Napoleonic War
  • Liberal newspapers spread like Cobbets Political Register - hampden clubs
18
Q

Arguments to avoid change:

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A
  • Tory Group argues 1832 will cause chain of drastic change
  • landed elite and old institutions would be put aside in favour of middle class masses
19
Q

How many times was the first reform bill presented?

Study These Flashcards
A

3 times, Tories reject!!
- after Tories rejected - whigs called for election, persuaded the king this would solve tensions
- after HOL rejected, Whigs resigned = appointment of unliked Tory govt
- king forced to accept to achieve political peace

20
Q

Pressure to pass 1832:

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A
  • napoleonic wars = revitalised demand for reform
  • Tory group weakened due to passing of Catholic Emancipation (alienated Tories) 1829
  • 1830 William 4th = open to reform
  • political union growth adds to pressure eg: BPU = 10,000 march when 2nd bill rejected by Lord
  • Political unions threatened a financial crisis
  • WHIGS were determined
  • Bristol protests: burn anti-reform bishop palace and anti-reform
21
Q

IMPACT of 1832

Study These Flashcards
A
  • uniform voting rules - 40 shillings in county, £10 property OR £50 leaseholders in boroughs
  • implementation of electoral registers
  • 435 —> 813000, 4% males —>20%

BUT:
- plural voting remained
- hustings still public so wealthy dominated

22
Q

1867 in the making:

Study These Flashcards
A
  • Liberals (Russel and Gladstone) propose bill in 1866 but rejected - too controversial for even the Libs
  • Bill Hijacked by Tories (Derby and Disraeli) - accepted amendments from radical liberals but rejected Gladstone
23
Q

Pressure to pass 1868:

Study These Flashcards
A
  • Liberal Palmerston dies + new leader Russel and Gladstone believe ‘respectable working class’ deserve the vote’
  • 1864 Reform union formed (MC) - 1865 Reform league formed (WC) = pressure
  • Conservative Political Advantage, accepting some and rejecting amendments weaken unity in liberals
  • HOL support drummed up by Disraeli
  • external pressure - Hyde park, industrial town protests and violence
24
Q

Impacts of 1867

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A
  • more landowners and tenant farmers registered to vote
  • vote extended to boroughs - house holders and lodgers for at least a year
  • 20 —> 30% of adult pop
  • HUGE change in cities: Birmingham 15,500 —> 42,000
  • still plural voting
25
1884 reform act:
- smooth, cross party support - Gladstone believed rural WC should vote as well as already enfranchised INDUSTRIAL WC - Salisbury against reform but went along with it (to gain political advantage - redistribution of seats) - No extra parliamentary pressure
26
Impact of 1884
- ALL property qualification standardised: £10 (poor labourers and farmers included this time) - +2.5 million working class voters - 67% of male population vote!
27
Pressure to pass 1918 reform act:
- Lloyd Georges liberal government proposed in 1916 - but all parties recognised need for reform - fear of Suffragette militarism resurgence - many soldiers unqualified - out of England too long for WWI - men and women working class contribution in the war - Lloyd George had strong support as PM - Trade Union and Labour influence
28
Impact of 1918 reform act:
- vote to all males over 21 (18 for war vets) - women over 30 allowed to vote if able to vote in local elections - householders or had a husband who could vote - 95% of males - 43% of electorate now women! - 75% of voters in 1918 election had never voted before
29
1928 act pressure
- cross party cooperation, no notable opposition - 1919 Sex Disqualification Removal Act - in equality in employment illegal, access to women in professional jobs - Labour Party emergence in 1920s - social equality manifesto - NUWSS —> NUSEC from 1919 campaigned for female equality
30
Impact of 1928 reform act
- removed difference between male and female voters - women now made up the majority of the franchise - 12 million males to 14.5 million women!
31
Apart from the franchise issue what other issues were there in 1780:
Issue of distribution: - no standardisation of SIZE - all counties = 2MPs - overrepresentation eg: Old Sarum with 7 voters = ROTTEN BOROUGH vs: Birmingham with no MP and 182000 population - geographical imbalances: Cornwall = 300,000 people and 42 seats, vs Lancashire = 1.3mill, sent 14
32
Failed Pitt the Younger Reforms:
1785: reform constitution to make system more representative - proposals: - remove 36 small boroughs, redistribute 72 sets among city and county - £1 million to compensate property owners who lose political influence - extend 40 shilling franchise in the counties to long terms Defeated by Pitts rival Fox + opposition for borough property owners.
33
Redistribution in 1832 act:
- 56 over represented areas eg: Old Sarum lost constituencies - 30 like St. Ives reduced to One MP - 22 city constituencies created with 2 MPs eg: Manchester and Leeds = more constituencies have contested elections (never above 40% before) 74% had one after
34
Redistribution of the seats 1867
- further constituency reorganisation (to retain conservative dominance) - 38 boroughs lost 1/2 MPs - 4 lost both MPs - 45 seats given to underrepresented constituencies (Burnley and Middlesbrough) - 25 seats to counties to strengthen landed interests
35
Why was the distribution still unbalanced in 1867?
- constituencies not balanced in size - hustings still open to landowner influence
36
Secret Ballot Act 1872
- voters can vote more freely as ballots now secret - passed by Gladstone Liberal government - even though strong conservative opposition - contributed to Irish home rule - voters no longer influenced by English landlords in Ireland
37
Corrupt and Illegal practices act 1883
- Gladstone liberals passed it - limit the amount MPs can spend on elections - rules on food and drinks and transport to the hustings - organised record keeping to prove spending
38
1885 redistribution of the seats act
- compromise with the Liberals for the 1884 reform act - Salisbury states need to redraw constituency boundaries - Salisbury concerned that the newly enfranchised (1884) liberal voting WC would over power rural conservative voters - Burroughs with less than 15000 lost both, and less than 50000 lost one MP - most had one MP now = more necessary for each party to campaign for vote - boundaries moved to have equal sized constituencies, Boundary Commission set up - created wealthy suburban conservatives = VILLA TORYISM and liberal urban strongholds
39
How did the 1918 reform act change distribution?
- further removed smallest constituenciezs - more suburban middle class constituencies near large cities - increased conservative votes
40
What had changed by 1928 - distribution wise?
- constituency redrawing meant areas had proportionally the same number of MPs - boundary commission ensured constituencies changed as populations fluctuated - also avoided future creation of rotten boroughs

British Political Reform (H) (13 decks)

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