Pitt to Peel OCR A-level (Topic 4 - Parliamentary Reform and the Great Reform Act 1832)

Electoral system (1830) - Franchise/Voting qualifications

- 1831, Only 500 000 could vote out of a population of 24 Mn
- To vote, had to be a 40s freeholder
- 7 boroughs had 500+ voters, 56 had <50 each
- 'Potwalloper' = Could vote if fireplace was large enough; 'Scot and lot' = Could vote if paid local taxes

Electoral system (1830) - Geographical differences

- Manchester (w/ a population of 144 000) had 0 MPs
- Cornwall (w/ population 300 000) had 42 MPs vs. Lancaster (w/ population 1.3Mn) had 14 MPs
- Scotland had 45 MPs vs. England had 489 MPs

Electoral system (1830) - Corruption in politics

- No secret ballot - candidates had to vote in public
→ Landlords could see and influence the vote to benefit themselves
- Bribery was commonplace - in form of money, beer and jobs
- Cooping (kidnapping) of rival supporters took place
- Pocket boroughs used to influence voting - allowed rich landowners to make tenants vote for someone in their family
- Pocket seats given to 'The King's Friends'
- 1/5 of HoC were Sons of Lords

Why the Electoral system lasted so long

- Aristocracy wanted to maintain the status quo, making it difficult to enact reform as they controlled wealth, power and education
- French Revolution led to fears of anarchy, so many MPs gave up on pursuing reform, instead supporting conservatism and popular loyalism
- Lack of economic issues led to little radicalism, therefore no one was pushing for the Parliamentary/electoral reform. Liverpool's repressive govt also stifled what little radicalism there was

'Whig' views towards reform

Some advocated for reform, such as: abolition of slave trade, rights for Roman Catholics, etc. Leading Whigs even formed the 'Society of the Friends of the People', demanding annual parliament and a parliamentary reform bill.
1830. Tory split solidified Whig support for Parliamentary Reform Bill

'Tory' views towards reform

Toryism strived for preservation of establishment, social order and monarchy, so reform was seen as a major threat during the Fr Revolution. Some Tories wanted to reform the corrupt systems; Ultra Tories opposed Catholic Emancipation

Reasons the Whigs pushed for reform

- Catholic Emancipation:
→ Caused agitation, questioning if Catholics could take seats
- Britain's economic:
→ Increased employment necessary to accommodate for 'new' Br, believed only a reformed Govt could do so
- Class representation:
→ Growing awareness of middle-class, who wanted more representation, led to the formation of the BPU, confirming growing radical demands and the dangers of ignoring them
- Events in France:
→ Liberal Monarch, Louis Philippe, supported French middle-class - encouraged reform demands in Britain

The Marquess of Blandford's Bill

Catholic Emancipation made Ultra Tories turn to demanding for reform.
Ultra Tory, Marquess of Blandford, Feb 1830, introduced a major Reform Bill for the transfer of rotten borough seats to counties and large towns. Believing that a widely based electorate would rally around Anti-Catholicism

Why Parliamentary reform failed before 1830

- There was little demand for parliamentary reform
- Aims of reformers were varied, often preventing them from being organised, limiting effectiveness of demands
- Old Parliament unable to convince HoC to vote for reform (eg Pitt's failed attempt at Parliamentary reform - dissolving a handful of pocket boroughs)
- Parliamentary reform demands in lists with other ideas - lost it's importance
- Reform seen as too dangerous to agree upon due to the French Revolution
- Parliament seemed effective enough as it was at the time:
→ Wide variety of interests represented
→ Ordinary people seemed 'uneducated', so democracy was dangerous
→ Parliament wasn't actively law-making

Why support for reform grew - Political

- Instability: Liverpool resigned (1827), two short-lived PMs, then Tories split into 3 under Wellington (1830)
- Reform arguments: Wellington refused redistribution of 2 rotten borough seats to Manchester and Birmingham
- Catholic Emancipation: Split Tories, Ultra Tories supported reform for revenge against Wellington (wider electorate would be more "Protestant"), Some MPs supported constitution amendments
- Political Unions: BPU set up (Thomas Attwood), for reform struggles, w/ peaceful protests, later leading to NPU
- William IV: He wanted to sort out worst problems - however reluctant to reform
- Leading Whigs supported reform

Why support for reform grew - Economic

- Middle class: They had economic wealth and influence but no political power; they demanded fair representation in the HoC
- Landowners: Protected their own interests in Parliament, gain resentment of manufacturers as they had to pay taxes and duties
- Reformers: Often appealed to the middle classes, despite not being of that class
- European Revolutions: Louis Philippe (after Fr Rev) supported the increased power of the Middle classes, encouraging the same to happen in Br - put pressure on MPs for the same
-BPU: aimed to ally the middle and working classes

Why support for reform grew - Social

- Slump led to riots: Harvest failure, high prices and unemployment caused, riots against irregular employment and low wages, smashing machinery and burning corn, hatred to tithes and poor law
- Swing riots: Caused by mechanisation (similar to Luddites), where machinery was smashed - convinced MPs moderate reform may quell potential revolutions
- Industrial workers: Demanded the right to votes; Combination Law made Trade Unions illegal, leading to General Unionism - Whigs feared Trade Unions would led to a revolution

The Whig's motives for pushing for a Reform Act

- Long term policy:
→ Genuinely believed that reform was desired + Parliament should have more power than the King
- Outdated system:
→ Industrial areas return no MPs(Birmingham, Manchester etc) + Only upper class men retained suffrage
- Disconnect a dangerous alliance:
→ Prevent an alliance of the middle and working classes, believed if the middle class gained suffrage then they would stop caring about the working class + would make the masses powerless w/out their educated leaders
- A permanent fix:
→ Present system would lead to a radical explosion + middle class suffrage would solve the question of Parliamentary reform
- Defuse public unrest:
→ 1815, radicalism controlled by repression; 1830, fear that repression would cause a revolution + Revolutions occurring in Europe (France, etc), so would prevent a Revolution
- Preserve existing system:
→To give power to the respectable middle class, who would want the same outcomes as the Whigs, e.g. protect property, etc
-Party advantage:
→ Tories were split, allowing Grey to push ahead + Whigs aimed to remove Rotten/Pocket boroughs, which advantaged the Tories + Enfranchised people would vote for Whigs as they are grateful for their suffrage
- Preserve ruling aristocracy:
→ Grey was against annual elections, so seen as not so democratic

How the Whigs got into power, 1830

George IV died and William IV came to power, a general election was held, which the Tories won, however were still divided due to Catholic Emancipation. Wellington stated that as long as he was PM, he wouldn't allow any reform whatsoever; 2 weeks later, Wellington was defeated in a vote of no confidence, soon resigning, allowing Earl Grey to step up as PM - on the promise of electoral reform

1830 election results

Tory: 250 seats
Whigs: 196 seats
Ultra-Tories: 60 seats
so, Whigs has a minority Govt when Earl Grey became PM

Were the Whigs reluctant reformers? (Agree/Disagree)

Agree:
- Only advocated for middle class suffrage
- Earl Grey opposed annual elections
Disagree:
- Wanted to increase Parliament's power over the monarch
- Desired to remove rotten/pocket boroughs
→ Wanted to reform the outdated system

What was the 1832 'May Day Crisis'?

Wellington invited back to be PM. But it was met w/ public outcry: BPU rally, Attwood, attended by up to 200 000.

Whig's Reform Bill of 1832: Nov 1830 - June 1832

- Wellington forced to resign → Earl Grey and Whigs come to power
- Whigs draft and introduced the Reform Bill (HoC) - small change to bring the middle class into the system, and exclude the working class
- Defeated by Tories in HoC
→ Tories added extreme radical amendments to make sure it gets rejected
- Second Reform Bill - passed through the HoC, blocked in HoL
- Public anger + rioting - 3 day riots in Bristol and Nottingham castle burned down in part
- Passed in the HoC, but weakened in the HoL (due to Tory majority)
- Grey asked William IV to create 50 Whig Lords, the King refused
- Grey resigns in May 1832 causing the 'May Day' Crisis
- Wellington resigned → Grey was invited back to be PM, with the King's promise to create as many Whig Lords as necessary
- Threat of New Whig Lords, Tories refuse to vote. The Bill passes HoC and HoL

What was the 1831 Nottingham and Derby riots?

After the Reform Bill's second rejection, a mob burned down Nottingham Castle and jails in Derby were attacked. 25 men were arrested and tried, with 8 found guilty and 3 hanged.

What was the 1831 Bristol riots?

After the Reform Bill's second rejection, followed two days of rioting and looting, city burned and prisons set free. Had a total of 250 casualties and £300 000 damage incurred.

Two main features of the Great Reform Act

- Constituency representation:
→ 143 seats were made available for redistribution to industrial cities, etc
- Extension of the franchise:
→ The vote was extended from the upper class to most of the middle class too

Result of the GRA - Rotten boroughs + constituencies

- Rotten boroughs were dissolved, pocket boroughs decreased
- 370 MPs hailed from the South, only 120 MPs hailed from the North

Result of the GRA - Electorate size

- Electorate rose from 478 000 to 813 000
- 1 in 7 men could now vote, however, it was:
→ Britain: 1 in 5
→ Scotland: 1 in 8
→ Ireland: 1 in 20

Result of the GRA - Secret Ballots

- No secret ballot, thus corruption and bribery continues (landlords still held some influence over the vote)

Result of the GRA - Parliament length

- Remained unchanged (still 7 years), thus concerns rose that the Government still weren't listening regularily

Result of the GRA - Power of the Commons and Lord

- HoC gained power, backed by the public, they were able to overcome the influence of the HoL
- HoL lost influence, due to the loss of pocket / rotten boroughs

Result of the GRA - Impact on the Lower Class

- Felt betrayed, as were excluded from gaining suffrage w/ Middle Class
- Led to demands for more reform + Trade Union and Chartist movements

Result of the GRA - Impact on the Middle Class

- Allowed the vote (if property over £10)
- Couldn't afford to be MPs themselves, as MPs received no pay - aristocracy still dominated as MPs
- 50 pocket boroughs survived, thus some Middle Class votes were still being influenced

Result of the GRA - Impact on the Upper Class

- Aristocracy kept influence - no secret ballot, thus they could still influence the vote

Result of the GRA - Party Organisation

- People had to register to vote, thus the creation of party organisations rose in order to keep electoral lists + track public opinion
- Such as, Tory Carlton Club (1832) and the Whig Reform Club (1836)

Result of the GRA - Whigs aims achieved?

- Achieved most of their aims, but failed to realise that this wouldn't be a one time reform, as the people would continue to ask for more

Who was Jeremy Bentham (1748-32)?

Utilitarianism: wanted to examine the usefulness of institutions to judge if they offer the 'the greatest happiness to the greatest number'.
He advocated for rational change/reform and thought the haphazard parliamentary system was unlikely to bring the 'greatest happiness'

Who was Francis Burdett (1770-1844)?

Radical MP who spoke in the HoC in favour of reform: for parliamentary reform and universal suffrage. Imprisoned twice, he was a 'hero' in London.

Who was Christopher Wyvill?

Founder of the 'Yorkshire Association' (1779), he advocated for lower taxes, annual general elections and a curb to corruption

Who was Major John Cartwright?

A campaigner for universal suffrage and political reform. Argued that the 'Golden Age' in Britain was before the Normans.

Who was Thomas Attwood?

Founder of the 'Birmingham Political Union'/'BPU' (1830). The BPU aimed to unite the middle and working class to try achieve reform.