Britain 1780-1928: Protest, Agitation and Parliamentary Reform

Who passed the 1832 Reform Act?

Earl Grey

Who passed the 1867 Reform Act?

Lord Derby

Who passed the 1872 Ballot Act?

Gladstone

Who passed the 1883 Corrupt and Illegal Practices Act?

Gladstone

Who passed the 1884 Reform Act?

Gladstone

Who passed the 1885 Redistribution Act?

Lord Salisbury

Who passed the 1918 Reform Act?

David Lloyd-George

Who passed the 1928 Reform Act?

Stanley Baldwin

Who passed Parliament Act, 1911?

Herbert Asquith

Who passed the payment of MPs act, 1911?

Herbert Asquith

How big was the electorate before 1832?

4-5% men
2% entire population

How big was the electorate following the 1832 Reform Act?

55% increase in counties
45% increase in boroughs
Around 1 million voters

How big was the electorate following the 1867 Reform Act?

Doubled from the 1832 result
2 million

What size was the electorate following the 1884 Reform Act?

60% adults males could vote

Who could vote after the 1918 Reform Act?

100% males
40% women (8 million)

How many women over 30 still couldn't vote after 1918?

20%

Who could vote after the 1928 Reform Act?

100% adult population

What were elections like in 1780?

-poor roads meant it took a long time to reach a conclusion
-majority of constituencies didn't hold elections, they were uncontested
-corruption and bribery were rampant

What was a rotten borough?

Constituencies with just one voter
e.g. Dunwich, Appleby, Old Sarem

What was a pocket borough?

Small and easily controlled by a patron

Why were changes to the electoral system so rare before 1832?

-aristocrats unwilling to divide their power
-French Revolution
-working classes risked eviction if protested
-Britain was a traditional society

What was the Glorious Revolution, 1689?

James II fled and William of Orange was invited to rule with the condition that he would rule with Parliament, monarch wouldn't be divine ruler

George III

-madness meant cabinet often took control
-expressed strong opinions and expected MPs to follow his wishes
-had to heed to his senior ministers

Anne

Pregnant 19 times so preoccupied and had little time to rule the country
Delegated to officials

George I & II

Kings of Hanover (Germany) first, didn't spend much time in England
Let the Lords handle gov.
Monarchy becoming distant

How much power did William IV have in Parliament?

-followed ministers
-supported Tories
-gave speeches
-1832 Reform Act had to follow what Grey wanted
-dismissed Melbourne and appointed Peel

How much power did Victoria have in Parliament?

-relied heavily on her politicians
-self-imposed isolation led to Lords having greater power
-had strong opinions but didn't voice them
-appointed the expected leader

How did the 1832 Reform Act contribute to the decline of royal influence over HoC?

-easy to see which party had a majority, monarchs couldn't pick and choose PMs
-gov. had previously relied on the Crown and its patronage

Why was economic reform significant in the decline of royal influence over HoC?

-monarchs had relied on the Crown's patronage when manipulating political situations
-reducing patronage meant reducing their power to interfere successfully

Why was political reform significant in the decline of royal influence over HoC?

-Parliament Act reduced Lords' power and subsequently monarch's power
-monarchy wasn't even included in reform acts, becoming irrelevant

What was a sinecure?

A job without much labour, paid to do nothing
e.g. Groom of the Stole
Removed with reduction of Crown's patronage

Why were public scandals significant in the decline of royal influence over HoC?

Damaged the reputation of the monarchy, people didn't trust them or take them seriously
e.g. George IV = drunk, William IV = unmarried, Victoria = affair with Scottish guide?

How was monarchical influence a good thing?

-ended disagreements in 1884
-had a better education
-thoughts of re-election don't taint their opinions
-can dissolve ineffective parliaments
-make decisions quickly

How did the changing social demographic contribute to the declining influence of Lords?

More middle and working class people could vote and had the lawful right to recognition and representation

How did the CIPA and Ballot Act contribute to the declining influence of the Lords?

Limited corrupt and landed/moneyed interests
Landowners had links to Lords

What groups were pressing for electoral reform before 1832?

-working classes due to Corn Laws
-agricultural workers due to population growth and introduction of machinery

Who was Henry Hunt?

The "Great Orator" who spoke at Spa Fields and Peterloo, often in his white top hat. Denounced Parliaments and was arrested multiple times

Who was William Cobbett?

Wrote the weekly Cobbett's Political Register - in 1817 200,000 copies in circulation. 1810 sentenced to 2 years for seditious libel against army

What were the Swing Riots?

Agricultural workers rioted due to an introduction of machinery and their growing population (not enough jobs)

Why were those calling for reform pre-1832 unsuccessful?

Government was prepared to take harsh action against protesters
Lord Liverpool was Conservative and under his leadership there was a period of tranquillity

What was the impact of the passing of the Catholic Relief Act?

If reform had happened, it meant it was possible for it to happen again

Who was Daniel O'Connell?

Challenged Vesey Fitzgerald and won but wouldn't swear an oath of allegiance to the Crown as he was Catholic Association leader
Denying him his seat would cause unrest across Ireland

When was the 1832 Reform Act first proposed, and by whom?

March 1831 by Lord Russell

Why did Grey resign in March 1831?

After the bill passed its second reading it then failed, Grey had to resign, he lost face

What was the Chandos Clause?

Tenant farmers who rented land worth £10 a year could now vote

What happened at the riot in October 1831?

-Bristol
-3 day riot in Queens Square
-Burnt down the Bishop of Bristol's palace

With how many votes did the third version of the reform act pass through the HoC and HoL?

9 votes

What did Grey want William IV to do?

Make new peers to pass the reform act

What were the Days of May?

National protests against the Lords for postponing the bill
Attwood and the Birmingham Political Union wanted to prevent Wellington's return

Why couldn't Wellington form a government?

Despite it being William IV's desire, Peel wouldn't support Wellington so he couldn't form a government

When was the Great Reform Act actually passed?

June 1832

What stayed the same following the 1832 Reform Act?

-40 shilling franchise
-bribery still prominent
-skilled working classes couldn't vote
-uneven representation
-more voters in south than north
-no time limit

Why was the 1832 Reform Act great?

-first change to British voting system in centuries
-first step forward
-radical considering their traditional outlook

Why was the 1832 Reform Act not great?

-achieved very little
-bribery and violence increased
-many saw it as the only reform needed
-took 2 years to pass and only standardised the the franchise

Why was there no reform for 35 years after 1832?

-reverted to traditional mindset
-public became indifferent again
-"reform to preserve"
-decline of economic distress
-conservative gov.

What is meant by "reform to preserve"?

Reform in order to maintain the traditional order of the day, to exclude the working classes from the constitution

Reform Union, 1864

Had support from the middle classes and within the government, they wanted to reform for personal commercial interests

Crimean War as a cause for reform in 1867

There were many deaths as a result of the incompetency of the military and government

National Reform Union

For them reform meant a more efficient and effective government

Northcote-Trevelyan report, 1854

Condemned the inefficiency of civil service and encouraged entry to service to be based upon merit instead of class

Reform League, 1865

Wanted universal manhood suffrage, to help trade union laws and labour laws

Who first proposed the 1867 Reform Act?

Gladstone first presented the bill in March 1866 but was opposed by Robert Lowe and Disraeli

What did the first version of the 1867 Reform Act propose?

Reducing the borough franchise from £10 to £7 and allow county franchise to be extended to farmers paying £14 rent or more

Who opposed Gladstone's 1866 bill?

The Whig Adullamites led by Robert Lowe and Disraeli and the Conservatives

Why did Derby and Disraeli want to pass a reform bill?

Recognised the weakness of the Tory Party and wanted to restore its image

What happens when Disraeli first presents his bill?

3 ministers resign immediately, it causes tension in the Party so the proposal is withdrawn

Why was the 1867 Reform Act passed?

Disraeli accepted many amendments to gain support from all parts of parliament in August 1867

Which amendment did Disraeli not accept?

John Stuart Mill's proposal for votes for women

Why is the 1867 Reform Act significant?

It started as a liberal bill but was ultimately passed by a conservative government

What changed after the 1867 Reform Act was passed?

-doubled the electorate
-gave the vote to those with land worth £5 and those with property worth £12
-in Sheffield and London most voters now came from working classes

What stayed the same after the 1867 Reform Act?

-40 shilling franchise
-still based on property and the stake you had in the country
-those who moved were excluded from the vote
-residuum couldn't vote

What are the residuum?

The lowest of society

How did events overseas influence 1832 and 1867 Reform?

-French Revolution
-American Civil War
-events that influenced the working classes

How did the state of the economy influence the 1832 and 1867 Reform?

-economy in a bad place in both cases
-higher food prices caused unrest
-cotton famine (1867)
-Corn Laws (1832)

How did extra parliamentary pressure influence the 1832 and 1867 Reform?

-reform driven by outside groups
-Birmingham Political Society (32) and Reform League (67)
-1832 saw greater pressure from working classes

How did party advantage influence the 1832 and 1867 Reform?

-Grey wanted to reform to continue with his own agenda
-Disraeli solely to restore the party image

How did the press influence the 1832 and 1867 Reform?

-press spread the word of reform
-low literacy rate so wouldn't reach majority
-1867 saw a wider circulation of papers

How did the extension of the franchise influence the 1832 and 1867 Reform?

-both saw a significant increase from before
-1832 passed to stop public disorder, not increase the franchise
-1867 extension a byproduct of Disraeli's amendments

Why were people for the Secret Ballot Act, 1872?

-end corruption and bribery
-privacy and security
-more democratic
-less pressure on voters
-had to think about campaigns more

Why were people against the Secret Ballot Act, 1872?

-aristocracy felt it was their right to control lower classes
-un-British, wrong, unnatural
-Liberals think there are more important issues
-Tories benefit from the corruption, not in their favour

What did the CIPA do?

-could not spend more than £710 on first 2000 voters
-could not spend more than £40 on each further 1000 voters
(in campaign expenses)
-had to keep detailed records of their spending
-stiff penalties for malpractice

What were the effects of the CIPA?

-reduced bribery and corruption
-candidates had to work harder on campaigns
-limited to one election agent each
-limits on price meant it wasn't just the rich who had to run
-more professional

How did MPs support themselves in the 1880s?

-MPs were still not paid
-needed a sponsor/patron to support them
-membership fees could be used to support poorer MPs
-politics was becoming more serious

Why was there need for reform in 1884?

It was difficult to justify having £12 suffrage in counties and household suffrage in boroughs

Who did Parliament think it was safe to enfranchise in 1884?

Small tenant farmers and agricultural labourers

Why did Lord Salisbury block the 1884 Reform Act?

Partisan advantage - assumed that the new voters would vote Liberal, Salisbury didn't want this

What was the Arlington Street Compact?

Queen Victoria ended the stalemate between Salisbury and Gladstone by making them come to an agreement - they would each let the other's Act pass

Why did Salisbury want to pass the Redistribution Act, 1885?

-national distribution of seats was more important than changing the franchise
-wanted single member constituencies to gain Tory seats from the suburbs

What did the 1884 Reform Act achieve?

-universal qualification for householders and £10 lodgers
-now had 5.5mil voters (84% increase)

What changed after the Acts in 1884 and 1885?

-redistributed seats
-political life was dominated by class not interests
-wider franchise and universal standard

What didn't change after the Acts in 1884 and 1885?

Women couldn't vote and 40% men still couldn't

Why were MPs paid from 1911?

-now considered a job
-growing number of MPs who couldn't afford it
-working class MPs from Labour had been relying on subscription fees

How did Asquith pass the Parliament Act, 1911?

Had to threaten to get the king to create more Lords to pass the act

What did the Parliament Act, 1911 achieve?

The House of Lords could no longer halt bills, only delay them

What was the NSWS?

National Society for Women's Suffrage led by Lydia Becker and was active in the 1870s campaigning constitutionally (every year that decade they proposed a bill for women's votes)

What was the NUWSS?

National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, 1897 led by Millicent Fawcett

What was the WSPU?

Women's Social and Political Union, 1903 led by Emmeline Pankhurst

Why was there a lack of reform after 1885?

-social reforms took place (education and poverty)
-empire was expanding, had comfortable lives
-trade unions gave ordinary people a voice
-grievances dealt with lower down the system

Why were there calls for reform in 1918?

-election postponed until after the war
-electoral registers = out of date
-soldiers didn't qualify under the 1884 franchise (weren't residents for a year)
-in need of change following war
-class distinctions were weakened

What happened at the Speaker's Conference, 1916?

-representatives from major political parties
-all men over 21 get the vote
-soldiers aged 19+ were eligible for postwar elections
-couldn't ignore women's suffrage but were cautious