Lord Liverpool's Government

What difficulties did Lord Liverpool inherit?

What difficulties did Lord Liverpool inherit?

• Worry for British farmers as foreign grain would be cheap and re-enter the British market

• National debt from the French Wars

• Ireland

• Effects of industrialization

What weaknesses did Lord Liverpool’s gov have?

• Liverpool was not in the House of Commons, no communication

• Queen Caroline affair

• Arguing within the cabinet, Canning + Castlereagh

What were the Corn Laws?

• Passed in 1815

• 80 shilling price until foreign trade

• Colonial wheat allowed in at 67 shillings

• Corn dealers could store grain in warehouses until the price was high enough

What were the effects of the Corn Laws?

• Artificially inflated the price for the poor, less spending in economy overall

• Farmers and Landowners had guarantied income

What repressive measures did Liverpool introduce?

• Income Tax Repeal 1816

• The Game Laws 1816

• Suspension of Habeas Corpus 1817

• The Six Acts 1819

What were the Income Tax Repeals 1816?

• Result of pressure from MPs, said it was wartime only policy

• Raised indirect taxes on candles, beer, sugar + salt to make up the lost, poor turned to poaching

What were The Game Laws 1816?

• Tightened already strict poaching laws and made it landowners-only

• Punishment could be 7 years transportation

• Poor had to starve as they couldn’t afford food (Corn Laws)

What caused the 1817 suspension of Habeas Corpus?

• Worrying attack on the Prince Regent’s coach

• Spa Field Riots

What were the Six Acts 1819?

• Series of repressive measures to deal with high unrest levels (Peterloo massacure)

• Outlawed unofficial military training, seditious meetings, stamp duties on newspapers, magistrates special powers to search homes for weapons, sped up judicial process in court

• All aimed to silence the radical population

What was the Pentrich Rebellion?

• June 1917 in the East Midlands

• Bacon, Brandreth, Ludlam + Turner planned to march to Nottingham to London to overthrow the government for worker’s rights

• Rallied 50 people to set out, Brandreth threatened to shoot those who didn’t join

• Gov. already aware due to Oliver the Spy infiltrating the march

What was the outcome of the Pentrich Rebellion?

• Didn’t work, the main men fled after a confrentation

• Eventually arrested with the last arrest being in August of that year

• 12 found not guilty, 23 convicted, 3 transported for 14 years, 11 transported for life

• Brandreth, Ludlam, Turner were hung

What were the Blanketeers?

• Cotton weavers wore their blankets to protest against low pay and their lack of rights

• Peaceful protest from Manchester to London

• Failed protest as nothing changed

• Stockport authority brutally killed some of the marchers

What was the Peterloo Massacure?

• August 1819

• Mass meeting in St. Peter’s field of 60,000

• Main Speaker “The Orator” Hunt arrested, 11 killed, 400 injured

• Fight for more political rights and parliamentary reform

• Overreaction of a response from yeomanry, condemning actions led to the Six/Gagging acts

What did Luddites do?

• Aimed to remove machinery and minimize automation by destroying them

• Concentrated in the Midlands

• Occasionally attacked Factory owners

• Died down, mainly because of the framebreaking act 1812

What was the Framebreaking Act 1812?

• Made luddism/breaking machinery illegal

• Punishment of Transportation

What was the Spa Field Riot?

• 1816

• Aimed to achieve political rights by the Spencians Thistlewood, Dr Watson

• Planned to attack a gunsmith and then take over all the British Banks

• Plan failed as there was a spy for the government

What was The Cato Street Conspiracy?

• 1820

• Aimed to kill the entire government and overthrow it due to general discontent

• Thistlewood was involved, threat of bombs

• Executions and Transportation for those involved

When was Liverpool’s repressive era?

• 1815-1821

When was Liverpool's enlightenment era?

• 1821-27

Why did the Tories become more “Enlightened”?

• There was a cabinet reshuffle in-between August 1822 to January 1823

What was the Combinations Act Repeal?

• 1824

• Allowed Trade Unions to form again

What was the Reciprocity of Duties Act?

• 1823

• Allowed free entry of foreign ships into Britain on the same basis as their British counterparts

• Reduced import costs

What were the Penal Code reforms?

• 1825-28

• 278 legal reforms

• 189 offenses had the death penalty abolished

• Included Juries Regulation Act 1825

When were the Metropolitan Police introduced?

• 1829

• Result of a crime rise in London

• 3000 paid officers financed by ratepayers

• Many saw it as a removal of liberties

What was the Amending Act?

• Only allowed Trade Unions to exist for wage disputes

What was the Truck Act?

• 1820

• Prevents people recieving payment in other ways than wages

What was the Factory Act?

• 1819

• Prevented children under 9 and women working underground

• Regulated hours of work for anyone under 16

What were the features of Enlightened Toryism?

• 1821-27

• Younger, more middle class outlook

• Desire for government running efficiency

• Free Trade

What does Enlightenment entail?

• Freedom of Religion

• Political Rights

• Right to free expression

• Free Trade

Who were considered Enlightened Tories in the cabinet reshuffle?

• 1821-23

• Canning (Foreign Secretary replacement for Castlereigh)

• Robert Peel (Home Secretary replacement for Sidmouth)

• Robinson (Chancellor replacement of Vansittart)

What were the Chancellor’s budgets?

• 1821-27

• Introduced series of far-sighted budgets that reduced indirect taxation

• Reduced domestic duties and promoted free trade

When did O’Connell found the Catholic Association?

• 1823

What did the Catholic Association do that made it so unique?

• Charged “Catholic Rent” at a penny per month

• Enabled funding for campaigns

What was the County Clare election?

• 1828

• Fitzgerald Vs O’Connell

• Catholic Association convinced the people to vote for O’Connell

• Won the election, raised catholic emancipation issue as he was Catholic

When was Catholic Emancipation?

• Passed in 1829

Who were the main three radical personalities?

• Major Cartwright

• William Cobbett

• Henry “Orator” Hunt

What did Major Cartwright do?

• Established over 100 debating societies (Hampden clubs)

• Led a colourful political existence and prominent in radical movment

What did William Cobbett do?

• Radical journalist

• Famous “Political Register” (Two Penny Trash) important in development of w/c development

What did Henry “orator” Hunt do?

• Most recognisable spokesperson of w/c radicalism

• Owned 3000 acres of land

• Claim to radical fame was ability to stir up protest and feelings amongst the masses