Theme 2: Changing influences in Parliament: The impact of parliamentary reform

What was the extent of aristocratic influence c1780?

-1701-1831 29 general elections, in some small boroughs in Lancashire and Cornwall appeared to have had no elections because patron either stood as MP himself or selected MP
-Robert Peel bought the country estate in Tamworth, Staffordshire, secured his own seat as MP, and that of his son, also called Robert Peel
-1801 rotten borough Gatton sold for £90,000 and later in 1830 for £180,000 (£9m today)

What were many constituencies controlled by?

Crown or aristocratic patron, known as a pocket borough

What did the open voting system do?

Limited franchise and lack of legislation to prevent bribery meant that there was strong pressure to support the local aristocratic patron

Was the aristocracy always guaranteed to be successful?

-Not guaranteed success
-Pocket boroughs, voters could seek to sell their votes for up to £10 each
-1780 Sir James Lowther lost Whitehaven election when his tenants turned against him; had to threaten to cut supply of coal to win support
-1830, Lord Penrhyn spent £30,000 bribing the electors in Liverpool and still lost election
-HoC elections, aristocracy exercised strong influence though HoL
-Unelected, powerful role in legislation
-Could influence or even block laws being passed

What was the extent of Crown influence 1780?

-Exercised influence in Parliament by appointment of governmental ministers
-After elections it was monarch's responsibility to select politician they would be most suitable for PM; need not be from party w most seats
-George 3 (1760-1820) took very direct role in politics
-Selected PM, influenced parliament through patronage, by promising offices and peerages to MPs in return for political support
-1776 recommended 10 new peerages be created
-7 were for MPs to whom he'd made earlier promises

Why was a motion for 'economical reform' proposed in 1780?

-Growing concern over the way the King was able to influence govts through patronage
-Exemplified by govt's failure in American War of Independence
-Rising costs funded by increasing taxes
-Politicians pointed out contracts for military supplies had been given to family and friends of MPs to win support for govt
-Led to accusations of corruption and inefficiency

What was the proposal of 'economical reform'?

-Stated 'the power of the Crown had increased, is increasing and ought to be diminished'
-Reduce number of offices that could be awarded, and was 'economical' in sense that it would reduce governmental costs
-Attack on Crown's power, seen by supporters as attack on unpopular govt of Lord North rather than George 3
-Bill passed and reduced number of offices Crown could award

Did the Crown's power decrease 1780-1801?

1782 alliance govt between Lord North and radical Charles James Fox formed but George 3 refused to support them with patronage, weakened govt, later dismissed

Who did George 3 appoint as PM?

Pitt 1783-1801

Why did George 3 appoint Pitt?

-Pitt had small following of MPs since maj supported North and Fox and refused to support replacement govt
-Had to build coalitions by compromise and negotiation, something that had not been important to previous PMs

What did the appointment of Pitt lead to?

-Rise of cabinet govts, where decisions were made in discussion by Cabinet Council, core group of ministers
-Supported by his cabinet Pitt won a maj in 1784 election

Why did the Crown become less influential in politics after 1780?

Growth of Pitt's cabinet govts, combined with weakened importance of patronage after 1780

How did the aristocracy have less control after 1801?

-Reform acts extended the franchise progressively to voters in industrial areas which were less controlled by the aristocracy
-Process of removing rotten and pocket boroughs and redistributing seats weakened influence of patrons

What did it mean for the Crown when they lost control over choice of PM after 1801?

-1834, following tensions with Whigs over 1832 Act, William IV removed Melbourne as PM of majority Whig Parliament, attempted to replace him w Robert Peel in Tory cabinet
-Failed and Melbourne reappointed
-1880 Queen Victoria wanted to appoint Lord Hartington as PM but pressure by Liberals into appointing Gladstone

What was the 'Bedchamber Crisis'?

-Independence of monarchy safeguarded in 1839, during so-called 'Bedchamber Crisis'
-Victoria agreed to appoint Peel over minority Tory govt, Peel refused to accept unless Queen's companions, mainly wives of Whig minsters, replaced w Tory wives
-Victoria refused and Melbourne instead created a Whig govt
-Established clearly boundaries of constitutional monarchy
-Showed monarch couldn't freely appoint minority govts but also that Parliament had limited influence over monarch

Did the number of MPs from landowning elite remain high by 1885?

Number of MPs from industrial and commercial backgrounds was more than the number from landowning elite

What did the passing of the 1832 mean for the Crown and aristocracy?

-Undermined role of both
-Popular pressure (riots in Bristol, march of 100,000 led by BPU, media pressure from The Times and threat of a 'run on the banks' by reformers) was instrumental
-King pressured to agree to create sufficient new members of HoL to push bill through in HoL blocked
-Both Lords and King intimidated byGrey and reformist movement
-Lords backed down on a bill they had rejected 2x

What did the 1872 Act mean for the aristocracy?

Reduced power of local aristocratic patrons, esp in county constituencies, by preventing them from knowing how their tenants and workforce voted

What did the 1883 Act mean for the aristocracy?

-Limited how aristocratic wealth could be used to influence elections
-1880 election, costs for national election could amount to £2m for a party
-After 1883 parties limited in what they could spend, only £710 for county constituency with 2,000 voters
-Made it accessible for non-aristocratic candidates

What was the most important act in weakening aristocratic power?

Parliament Act 1911

What did Chancellor of the Exchequer DLG propose 1909?

'People's Budget' to the HoC, essentially a higher income tax for most wealthy

How did the Parliament Act 1911 come about?

-HoL traditionally didn't interfere w financial bills but Con Lords argued this an exception since it attacked rights of landowners
-Lords rejected the bill, leading to gen election 1910, Libs won
-New bill proposed to limit ability of HoL to block financial bills
-Exact content of bill hotly contested, from some who wanted moderate change to more radical Liberal wing wanting to replace Lords w second elected chamber

What was the result of the 1910 general election?

Close Liberal victory

What condition did George V support this bill on?

Second election to be held

What was the result of the second general election 1910?

Almost identical in result to the first and Parliament Bill passed in 1911

What changes did the Parliament Act 1911 introduce?

-HoL could only delay bill for 2 yrs, after which it would be passed. Severely weakened ability to block bills
-HoL couldn't delay or amend financial bill
-Time between general elections reduced from 7 yrs to maximum 5 yrs
-Salaries of £400 introduced for MPs, making role accessible to working-class reps (industrial worker might earn £250)
-HoL would remain unelected and hereditary

What was the role of political parties before 1832?

-Tories traditionally represented supporters of monarch while Whigs were opponents with a more liberal outlook
-Not parties in sense of organisations but loose alliances of politicians through family, friendship and shared voting
-From 1784, under govt of Pitt the Younger, party lines became more distinct, with clear differences in views over American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars

What did the GRA 1832 mean for parties?

-Meant they needed to register voters so became more organised
-The need to contest elections, rather than simply agreeing them or buying pocket boroughs, made party politics essential

What emerged as a result of the GRA?

Tory Carlton Club and Whig Reform Club emerged to administer registration

What impact did the reform acts have on Conservatives?

-1834, Robert Peel issued his manifesto, known as the Tamworth Manifesto
-Stated views of Tory candidates who supported him
-Manifesto promised a reform of abuses but also protected traditional institutions, like Church of England
-This first popularised name Conservatives and over subsequent years the name 'Tories' was replaced

What impact did the reform acts have on Whigs?

-1834 Lichfield House Compact, a deal to work together against Peel's Conservative govt, was agreed at meeting of Whigs, Radicals and Irish MPs
-Unified Whig Party

What impact did the reform acts have on Liberal Party?

-1846 Conservative split over abolishing controversial Corn Laws 1815, ban on importing cheap corn into Britain to protect economy
-Peel wanted to repeal laws
-2/3 Cons rebelled and voted against Peel
-1848-59 essentially 3 main groups, 'Peelite' cONS MPs, mainstream Cons and Whigs
-1859 Peelites and Whigs formed anti-Con alliance which became the Liberal Party

What impact did the Second Rep of the People Act 1867 have on parties?

-Increased size of electorate required more party organisation. Cons formed Conservative Central Office, built network of local party orgs called the National Union of Conservative and Constitutional Organisations. 1877 had 791 local associations. Liberals little slower, founded National Liberal Fed 1877
-Both parties paid local agents for local recruitment, had to keep accurate lists and records and ensure voters turned up
-Parties began investing more in newspapers; being able to publish public info and promises was essential. Photos used to show images of wise, thoughtful party leaders
-Women's orgs like Primrose League for the Conservatives, used to encourage women to influence husband's votes

What impact did the Ballot Act 1872 have on parties?

Since patrons no longer knew who voters would select, getting out party message took on increased importance to win votes

What impact did the Corrupt and Illegal Practices Prevention Act 1883 have on parties?

-Each candidate could only have 1 paid agent, had to keep record of all expenses. 1910 average spent on each vote was 18% of what had been spent in 1880. Made clear party message more important, instead of persuading voters w cash or beer
-Liberals and Cons both put more focus on local volunteer groups for canvassing and organising public events e.g. Cons formed Primrose League 1883, held social events

What impact did the Third Rep of the People Act 1884 have on parties?

Enfranchisement of working class male voters led to emergence of Labour Party by 1906

What impact did the Fourth Rep of the People Act 1918 have on parties?

-Enfranchisement of millions of working-class men spurred growth of Labour Party; vote share rose from 7% to 22% in 1918 gen election
-Finalised loss of dominance of Liberals. Liberals split between Asquith and Lloyd George. Lloyd George only passed reform act as coalition w Cons. Strengthened Cons and Liberals pushed into 3rd place by Labour

What formed after the 3rd Reform Act?

New group of liberal politicians began to emerge; labourers, often officials of TUs and generally represented industrial, mining, areas

How did the formation of the Independent Labour Party come about?

-1892 Keir Hardie, ex-miner and trade unionist, + 2 other working-class candidates elected as Independent Labour MPs
-1893 ILP formed to represent working-class interests
-Number of party members ex-Liberal MPs who'd become disillusioned with failure to accept working-class men as MPs

What was the ILP seen as by other parties?

-Middle and upper class voters in general saw it as a socialist revolutionary movement
-Reality=party more involved in practical thinking for reform than more academic theorising on socialist revolution, not like revolutionary parties of Russia
-Word 'socialist' kept out of party name to avoid this reputation

How did the formation of the Labour Party come about?

-1900 ILP began achieving more success
-1900 formed Labour Rep Committee (LRC) unifying over 100 TUs to connect trade unionism to parliamentary reform

What did the LRC do?

-Campaigned on behalf of ILP and TUs
-1903 Liberals agreed a mutual agreement with LRC, 'Lib Lab Pact'

What did the Liberals agree to do when it came to the 1906 general election?

To avoid splitting opposition vote against Cons in next election and creating strong Con govt, Liberals agreed not to contest a number of Labour strongpoints, guaranteeing LRC MPs would win seats, in return LRC would support Liberal govt

How many LRC candidates won seats in 1906 general election?

29

What happened when the LRC candidates won?

Renamed themselves the Labour Party

What were the ILP disappointed with when Labour formed a govt in 1924?

Moderate policies of MacDonald which caused a division to appear which led to the 2 parties separating in 1931

What 2 strengths meant Labour could grow from 1918?

-Increased wartime TU membership (4m to 6m)
-Increased working-class male vote in 1918 Reform Act, Labour able to form first govt in 1924 under MacDonald

What was the makeup of the first Labour govt 1924?

191 seats and didn't last a year

Why was the first Labour govt short-lived?

Fake letter from Russia, Zinoviev Letter, appeared to promise extension of communism exacerbated perceived threat of it and contributed to Cons taking power at second 1924 election

What happened by 1928 despite setbacks Labour faced?

Labour soon eclipsed the Liberals, British parliamentary politics primarily Cons and Labour, rather than Liberals

How had parties changed by 1928?

-Organised, structured groups rather than loose alliances of 18th century
-Reform acts forced them to organise to put across unified party message, winning votes with ideas rather than bribery or patronage
-1900s 3 main parties were strong political institutions in a modern sense of a political party

What was the social makeup of the HoC c1780?

-Exclusively of men from wealthy backgrounds
-Large number from aristocratic families, although not peers themselves (peerage would exclude them from being in Commons)
-20% sons of peers, many had relatives who were peers
-Number of MPs had titles but w/o losing status as a commoner

What was the property qualification for county MPs in the 18th and early 19th century?

£600

What did one MP pay in bribes and campaigning costs in 1830?

£30,000

How much land did Sir James Lowther have?

Worth more than £2m

How did the Rep of the Peoples Acts 1832 and 1867 change the social composition of the HoC?

-Did little to change makeup of HoC
-1833 217 sons of peers or baronets, fell to 180 by 1865
-1845 41% MPs listed as sons or close relatives of aristocrats

How did the Repeal of the Property Qualification Act 1858 change the social composition of the HoC?

-Removed property qualification and made HoC accessible to middle classes
-Didn't provide salary; those with a private income could afford to be MPs, opened up membership of Parliament to a wider social range
-Small increase in number of MPs from less wealthy, industrial and commercial backgrounds

How did the Redistribution of the People Act 1884 and the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 change the social composition of the HoC?

-Increased number of urban constituencies meant, for first time, MPs of industrial commercial background outnumbered landed MPs
-Growth of WC vote small number of WC MPs representing TUs and Liberals elected, later becoming Labour
-13 in 1885 but Labour had 29 MPs by 1906
-Funded by unions and Labour, paid them up to £200 per year
-Lack of govt salaries meant this number was relatively small, little wider impact on makeup of Commons

How did the Parliament Act 1911 change the social composition of the HoC?

Introduced salaries of £400 per annum for MPs meaning more WC and MC professional candidates could stand for election

How did the change the Rep of the People Act 1918 social composition of the HoC?

-Supported by WC votes, Labour won 57 seats 1918 for WC candidates, 151 seats by 1924
-Enfranchisement of women led to female MPs
-Very small change since only 12 elected by 1928

In what ways did the makeup of the HoC stay the same?

-1928 maj of MPs from wealthy backgrounds
-Maj were males
-Among 12 elected women in 1920s:
-1 didn't take seat in protest at British policies towards Ireland
-Maj wealthy, had titles
-Only 1 held ministerial office
-First 3 elected into constituencies where husband had previously stood as MP

In what ways did the makeup of the HoC change?

-MPs in 1928 mainly from urban or commercial middle- and upper-class backgrounds rather than landowners
-MPs represented more even distribution in geographical and demographical sense, compared to unbalanced representation 1780
-Men of working-class backgrounds as MPs
-Small number of female MPs in 1920s

What was the makeup of the first Labour govt 1924?

191 seats and didn't last a year