Breadth theme 1- Reform Acts essay plans

  • To what extent was reform of the franchise in the years 1780-1928 influenced by extra-parliamentary pressure?

EXTRA PARLIAMENTARY

  • 1832- Attwood’s BPU march- 100,000 strong, united middle/working class agitation, riots in Bristol (Burned down Bishop’s palace- 12 killed), Nottingham castle destroyed, run on banks ‘To stop the Duke, go for gold’ BUT- early demos failed to get bill passed e.g Attwood’s march- only middle class popular pressure succeeded

  • 1867- Hyde Park riots 200,000.

  • 1884-5- little impact. Liberals/ Tories not overly opposed to reform

  • 1918- Impact of soldiers returning from war, fear of unrest/revolution & return of militancy by WSPU (Is this context though…?)

POLITICAL OPPORTUNISM

  • 1832- Whigs in political wilderness 30+ years- middle classes could provide new voter base

  • 1867- Disraeli’s Conservative Reform Bill March 1867- ‘A leap in the dark’- “A step which would destroy the present agitation and destroy Gladstone and Co”

  • 1884-5- Lord Salisbury’s opportunism- could manipulate redistribution of seats in South-East to benefit Tories.

  • 1918- Women’s vote an antidote to working class preference of liberal/Labour.

  • 1928- Cross-party consensus for equal franchise- Baldwin convinced cabinet 1927

POLITICAL COMMITMENT

  • 1832- Earl Grey’s commitment- resigned. Fear of revolution, defence of aristocracy- reform to conserve. BUT lack of commitment to fundamental change? Stephen Lee- “It’s (1832 Act) essence was really to preserve and strengthen aristocracy by removing from it the taint of oligarchy”

  • 1867- Gladstones commitment to extending franchise ‘Pale of the constitution’ (Respectable working class)

  • 1884-5- Gladstone’s commitment to extending principle of Respectable working class to counties (agricultural workers)

  • 1918- Coalition wartime govt, speakers conference (Asquith & Lloyd George- more commitment to enfranchising working men than women)

  • 1928- PM Stanley Baldwin saw opportunity- 1 million+ female membership of Conservatives by 1928

  • In the years 1815-1928, the reform of parliamentary representation was driven primarily from those excluded from the franchise. How far do you agree with this statement?

  • How far do you agree that the reform of Parliament in the years 1830-1928 was driven mainly by the desire of parliamentarians to secure political advantages for their parties?

  • To what extent was the Second Reform Act 1867 the key turning point in the development of democracy in the years 1790-1928?

  • ‘Redistribution of seats was carried out mainly to reflect changes in Britain’s economic landscape’ How far do you agree with this opinion on parliamentary redistribution in the years 1780-1918?

  • ESSAY Qs- HOW DEMOCRATIC

CRITERIA

  • Representative institutions (parliament) reflect will of the people

- Universal franchise (men → women) - extension of franchise

- Fairness and equality of electoral system

- Redistribution of seats

- Accountability of parliament

-Political participation, party choice

  • Democracy VS aristocratic govt which relies on rule of family, inheritance, authority, land, property (property- constitutes nation- if own property, you hold a ‘stake’ in the nation) Lord Durham- ‘To property and good order we attach numbers’

  • Opposed by Burke (vs Paine’s Rights of Man, Chartists, radical reformers- do not win in 1st half of 19th century)

  • Industrial, commercial capital becomes increasing interest (Middle class industrialists - lobby to keep working class (employees) out of parliaments)