topic 12 - aims, motives, methods, opposition and success

what was the aim of the ACLL?

the total and immediate repeal of the corn laws

was this their sole aim?

yes

their sole aim may be why…

they were more successful than other groups as their goal was clear

what were the ACLL’s economic motivations?

they believed that protectionism led to tariffs being placed on British goods which would cause the ruin of British industry and mass unemployment

what were the ACLL’s humanitarian motivations?

some believed it would solve social and economic ills as abolishing the tax would benefit the poor

what were the ACLL’s political motivations?

the repeal would change the balance of power by ruining British agriculture and removing the wealth and power from the landowners who dominated parliament

what did the chartists believe the motives of the ACLL were?

they believed the ACLL wanted bread prices to fall so they could justify wage cuts

what were some of the methods used by the ACLL to raise awareness for their cause?

raising money, having members run for parliament and publicity

how much money did the ACLL raise in 1843?

£100,000

what did they invest this money into?

a propaganda campaign where leaflets and pamphlets were widely distributed

what else did they use the money for?

to support ACLL members running for parliament

why did they need money?

as MPs didn’t earn a wage and needed money to support themselves whilst in parliament

what two members became MPs in 1841 and 1843?

Cobden and Bright

what did these victories do?

raised the profile of the ACLL in the House of Commons

once in parliament, they…

held significant debates and put pressure on the House of Commons about the corn laws

how did the ACLL publicise their cause?

through their newspapers and meetings

what was their newspaper called?

the anti bread tax circular

where did they hold meetings/public lectures?

across the country and effectively used railways to travel from one town to another

what did the ACLL do in 1844?

they bought property for their supporters so that they could vote

were the ACLL a progressive organisation?

yes

how many anti-corn law petitions were there in 1846?

467

is this more or less than the number of pro-corn law petitions?

less

did the anti-corn law petitions have more signatures?

yes - in total there were 1.4 million

what do these petitions show?

that support for the ACLL was widespread as places all over the country submitted petitions

who were the ACLL’s main opposition/critics?

the chartists, the times newspaper, benjamin disraeli and the tory party

why were the tory party in particular against the ACLL?

as a majority of them were landowners who benefitted from the corn laws

did the ACLL achieve their aims?

yes

when were the corn laws repealed?

1846