Unit 1: How effective were pressures for change to the franchise in the years 1780-1928? Flashcards
1780 was a period where social status and wealth defined the power and potential of people in Britain.
What were people campaigning for in this period?
Social and political freedom, especially universal suffrage and annual elections.
What percentage of the British population could legally vote at the start of 1780?
5%- primarily men over the age of 21 who owned a lot of land.
Describe Britain’s franchise system.
Britain divided into constituencies with an MP to represent them.
In the countryside, anyone who owned land worth 40 shillings could vote eg. 1832 records show 4% of Hertfordshire population could vote.
University seats were where university graduates could vote.
Boroughs franchise in towns which had different qualifications to vote.
Give some examples of borough franchises.
Scot and lot- males who paid their local tax and scot.
Corporation- members of the town council (corrupt).
Pocket- owned by one person who nominated a candidate for election to parliament.
Why was the arrangement of Britain’s franchise system significant?
The system ensured those of lower wealth and status could not be represented.
Study in 1827 shows that elections were heavily influenced by those with wealth and social status- 276/658 of parliamentary constituencies were decided by the influence of the local grandee.
The House of Lords could veto decisions- dominated by nobilities and elites- satisfied national interests eg. trade, banking rather than the working class.
What were the pressures for reform?
The growth of the industrial middle class but enjoyed less political power.
The changing demography of the Industrial Revolution- rapid population increase: 18 million in 1811 to 27 million in 1851, and the reduction of rural living due to the establishment of towns such as in the Midlands and Lancashire.
The introduction of revolutionary ideas about equality eg Thomas Paine.
Increased access to media through liberal newspapers such as the ‘Political Register’.
French Revolution sparked an interest in reform of British politics amongst the population.
What were the reasons for resistance?
Robert Peel (Tory party) argued that little legislative change will inevitably lead to universal suffrage which they did not want.
The landed elite argued that change would neglect nobility institutions in favour of the pressure from the growing middle class.
How did the French Revolution increase pressure for change?
The French Revolution led to reformist ideals( liberty and equality) becoming more widespread and supported by many, particularly those who were excluded from the franchise.
People of Britain realised they could push for more change and potentially succeed.
E.g. Radical reformers - the Society for Constitutional Information, founded 1780, campaigned for universal suffrage, The London Corresponding Society, founded in 1792, campaigned for the improvement of the rights of the skilled working class.
How was the French Revolution a reason for resistance?
The Whigs proposed a change in 1792 to make parliament more representative.
This was when the French King Louis XVI had been executed and now Britain was at war with France.
Therefore, the government was more concerned with victory in the war than domestic reform so the Whigs motion for reform was defeated.
How did post-war unrest between 1815 and 1830 increase pressure for change?
The ending of the French Wars 1815 resulted in the growth of unemployment and economic distress.
Matters worsened by the Corn laws 1815- aimed to protect the economic interests of the landed class through tax on imported corn.
Manufacturers feared workers would ask for higher wages to protect themselves from the rise in food prices.
The government used military force against radical agitation through extra-parliamentary protests.
How was the post war unrest 1815-1830 a reason for resistance?
By 1820, the pressure for political reform subsided because of the revival of the economy.
When Canning and Goderich became prime minister in 1828, the Tory party dominance ended because of the internal division eg religion.
How did the government’s response to religious issues between 1828 and 1830 increase pressure for change?
Whig leader, Lord John Russel proposed to repeal the Test and Corporation Acts- they prevented protestant dissidents from holding government offices.
When Daniel O’Connell was elected for MP, he was unable to take his seat because he refused to swear on an oath to the crown- Wellington feared this would start unrest in Ireland. Therefore, he agreed to support the Catholic Relief Act 1829 which repealed most anti-Catholic legislation.
How was the government’s response to religious issues 1828-1830 a reason for resistance?
Tory backbenchers were strong supporters of the Angelical Church so they did not want to repeal the test and Corporation Acts as it would result in protestant dissidents entering government roles.
Describe the fall of Wellington’s government, 1830.
After George IV’s death (June 1830), the general election saw the return of Wellington but also some MPs that supported parliamentary reform in which Wellington was against.
The government was then defeated on a vote in the House of Commons and Wellington resigned, therefore removing the most important barrier to political reform.
The Whig leader, Earl grey, formed a government of Whigs and other reforming groups.
Describe the conditional (long-term) pressures that led to the Representation of the People Act 1832.
The French Revolution led to reformist ideals, especially those promoting liberty and equality, becoming more widespread and supported by many, particularly those who were excluded from the franchise.
The early 19th century saw the growth of large political meetings such as opposition to the Corn Laws and the Peterloo massacre 1819, demanded parliamentary reform.
Many working people, especially those in industrial towns, were becoming increasingly politicised. A large number of pamphlets and newspapers spread radical political ideas to a wide and receptive audience. The most influential journal of all was William Cobbett’s Weekly Political Register.
Describe the contingent (short-term) pressures that led to the Representation of the People Act 1832.
The 1830 July revolution in Paris replaced the Bourbon King, Charles X, with Louis Philippe, who was more acceptable to the French middle classes.
The Tory party had been in power since 1812. During the late 1820s, party unity began to fragment, mostly because of religious issues and Wellington’s opposition to change.
In 1830, working people were prepared to take up the issue of franchise reform as a means of ensuring a better life for themselves and their families.
Agricultural distress was widespread in the southern and eastern counties of England. The hardship experienced by farm workers was so severe that in 1830 it sparked the Swing Riots.
Extra-parliamentary protests became increasingly organised, - the creation in 1830 of the Birmingham Political Union by the banker Thomas Attwood. He intended to bring together into one single organisation the new industrial middle classes and the skilled working class, united by the single aim of parliamentary reform.
Describe Lord John Russell’s first reform bill in March 1831.
It involved the retention of the county franchise, the 40 shilling freeholder and replace the existing voting qualifications in the boroughs with a uniform franchise of £10 householders.
It exposed the great divisions between supporters and opponents of reform eg Tory backbencher, Sir Robert Inglis believed reform would weaken the position of the Church of England, the bill passed its second reading with a narrow vote (302-301) meaning it was unlikely to pass into law.
Earl Grey was defeated on an amendment - the government then resigned and William IV called a general election.
What were the results of this?
The Whigs had a majority over the Tories.
A second reform bill passed through the House of Commons, with a proposal by Marquis of Chandos which would extend the electorate to tenant farmers who paid £50 rent a year for their land.
This was rejected by the House of Lords which led to rioting eg The Bishop of Bristol’s palace was burned down.
What were the features of the Representation of the People Act 1832?
Expansion of the electorate from 435,000 to 650,000 representing about 18% of the male population.
Gave the vote to male householders living in towns who met minimum property requirements.
Standardized property qualifications to vote - renting a house or land worth £10 per year.
Created a system of voter registration to prevent fraudulent voting.
It redistributed parliamentary seats to reflect the changing population patterns and gave more representaion to urban areas that experienced significant growth during the Industrial revolution eg over-represented areas such as Old Sarum and Appleby lost their constitiuencies and 22 new ones were created such as Manchester.
It weakened the power of the landed aristocracy by reducing their control over the electoral process which lead to political parties appealling to the franchised middle class.
Why can it be argued that the impact of the Representation of the People Act 1832 was not significant?
The fact that women, the working class and those without property were still excluded from the vote shows that it did not represent a true democratisation of the political system.
Rotten and pocket boroughs, which had tiny electorates, were reduced but not eliminated entirely. Malapportionment persisted.
The system still favoured higher classes.
It failed to completely diminish the influence of the landed aristocracy.
It did not tackle the corrupt nature eg bribery.
The conversatives took lead on the Second Reform Act. Why was this?
To gain poltiical advantage by passing it before the Liberals could. Disraeli knew passing a limited extentiuon would win over liberal MPs and a substantial number of votes.
In the years leading up to 1865, the conservatives had some influence, particularly amongst the elites and aristocracy but they were losing ground to the rising forces of liberalism.
Describe the revival of interests in parliamentary reform.
Sir Robert Peel and most politicians agreed that further reform to the constitiuion was not necessary.
Even after the Chartist movement in 1830s and 40s revived interest, the public became indifferent to reform.
Russell became prime minister in 1865 and placed reform back on the political agenda.
However, before 1865 there was no substantial pressure outside parliament for reform as the economic distress of the late 1840s declined because of the industrial revolution.
By 1865, developments at home and abroad weawakened interest in parliamentary reform.
What were the pressures that led to the Representation of the People Act 1867?
There was widespread economic distress due to the ‘cotton famine’ from the early 1860s onwards. This situation was made worse by heavy storms that negatively impacted agricultural output, and the ‘run on the banks’ caused by the collapse of the financial house Overend and Gurney in May 1866.
The American Civil War (1861-5) had a significant impact on the cotton industry within Britain. Northen cotton mill towns suffered as supplies of raw cotton diminished (the ‘cotton famine’). In spite of this, northern mill town workers remained supportive of the Union (anti-slavery) forces in the US. As a consequence, these workers were seen as the ‘respectable working-class’ by many in the political establish and not a threat to the existing order.
The Reform Union and the Reform League organised mass demonstrations, including the Hyde park riots, to put pressure on MPs to support parliamentary reform. For example, the Hyde Park riots followed the inital Tory proposals, which they saw as too modest.
Since 1860, there had been a dramatic rise in the circulation of the popular press, a reflection of growing interests in politics and reform. These centred on events such as the unification struggle in Italy and the American Civil War.
What were the factors promoting resistance for the Representation of the People Act 1867?
The Adullamites (anti-reform faction with liberal party) offered strong resistance in parliament to any reform measures.
The Conservatives that did not support reform was led by Cranborne, then Lord Salisbury.
The landed gentry feared a dilution of their power.
