Second Reform Act

Who were the two main Conservatives in the passing of the Second Reform Act and what roles did they play?

Lord Derby persuaded Disraeli reform was necessary; Disraeli steered the bill through Parliament

Who were the two main Liberals involved in the passing of the Second Reform Act and what roles did they play?

Gladstone converted to reform in 1864; Earl Russell kept reform alive after Palmerston’s death

How were attitudes to the working class changing in the 1850s and 1860s?

Growing belief that the respectable working class deserved the vote

Give three reasons why attitudes to the working class were changing.

Organised trade unions; Decline of mass protest after Chartism; Growth of savings; Reaction to Lancashire Cotton Famine

Which two organisations were set up to push for reform and what was the difference between them?

National Reform Union was middle class; Reform League was more working class and radical

Give two domestic pressures for reform by the 1860s.

Growth of newspapers; Reform organisations; Outdated system; Government incompetence

Give two international pressures for reform by the 1860s.

Inspiration from foreign struggles; Fear of revolutionary violence

What boost did the reform movement get in 1864?

Gladstone’s speech supporting working-class enfranchisement

Why did the 1866 Liberal reform bill fail?

Opposition from the Adullamites led by Robert Lowe

Give two reasons why the Conservatives pushed for reform in 1866.

Gain credibility as governing party; Win new voters; Extra-parliamentary pressure; Disraeli’s ambition

Give two examples of extra-parliamentary pressure for the Second Reform Act.

Reform League meetings; Hyde Park meetings 1866 and 1867; Economic problems 1866–67

Give three safeguards against working-class influence in the 1866 Conservative bill.

Two-year residency requirement; Lodgers excluded; Compounders excluded; Fancy franchises

How did the bill change before becoming law and why?

Became more radical to outflank Gladstone; Hodgkinson’s Amendment removed compounder exclusion

What was the borough franchise after 1867?

Male householders resident over one year; £10 lodgers

What phrase described the 1867 Reform Act?

A leap in the dark

Give one key difference between Whigs in 1832 and Liberals in 1867.

Liberals were less united in 1867