Reforms, Revolutions, and War Section 1

Reading Focus

• How did social and political reforms change life in Britain

during the early 1800s?

• What reforms helped to shape the Victorian Era?

• What changes transformed the British Empire?

Main Idea

During the 1800s Great Britain passed many democratic reforms

that changed the way people lived and worked.

1. Reforms in the British Empire

Chapter 9 Section 1

Reforms, Revolutions, and War Section 1

During the 1830s industrialization led to rapid changes in British

society, and some began to call for social and political reform.

• Working, middle demands for

political reform

• 1800, landowning aristocrats

made up most of Parliament

• Some industrial cities had no

representatives at all

• Only wealthy male property

owners could vote

• public office restricted to men

of wealth

Industrial Revolution

• 1830s, demands for reform too

strong to ignore

• Liberals challenged old

aristocratic, conservative order

• Reform Act of 1832 gave

industrial cities representation

• Also gave voting rights to

middle-class men who owned

certain amount of property

• Women excluded from voting

Reform Act of 1832

2.Social and Political Reforms

Reforms, Revolutions, and War Section 1

3.Sadler and the Factory Act

• While Parliament debated Reform Act, one member investigated

treatment of children in Britain’s textile factories

• Michael Sadler showed harmful conditions endured by child workers

• Report noted physical mistreatment, long hours, low wages

• Parliament passed Factory Act, 1833

• Act limited working hours of children in textile factories

• made it illegal for teenagers to work more than 12 hours per day

• Children between ages 9 and 13 had to receive two hours

schooling per day

Reforms, Revolutions, and War Section 1

New Laws

• 1833, Parliament abolished slavery in Great Britain, all British Empire

• Slavery partially continued 4 years for slaves older than 6

• Government compensated slave owners depending on how many they

freed

• Parliament also passed new public health and crime laws

Chartism

• 1839, group called Chartists worked for voting rights for all men

• People’s Charter- petition sent to Parliament demanding voting changes

• secret ballot (eliminate voting intimidation)

• annual elections

• pay for representatives in Parliament

• Parliament first voted it down but later passed many of the reforms

4.Other Reforms

Reforms, Revolutions, and War Section 1

In 1837 Queen Victoria became the ruler of Great Britain. The

Victorian Era lasted until 1901. It was a time of great change,

including voting reforms that made the country more democratic.

• 1868–1885, two influential prime ministers, William Gladstone,

Benjamin Disraeli, elected several times

Disraeli and Gladstone

• Disraeli put forth new reform bill to extend voting rights to more

working men; passed 1867

• Another law created the secret ballot; discouraged bribery,

intimidation

Male Suffrage

5.Victorian Era Voting Reforms

Reforms, Revolutions, and War Section 1

• Secret ballot allowed

• Extended voting rights to

working men

• Disraeli argued that if a woman

could be queen, she should be

able to vote

• Tried to add women’s suffrage

to 1867 reform bill but did not

succeed

1867 Reform Bill

• 1800s, women not seen as

equals to men; could not own

property, not legal guardians of

their children

• Many women thought right to

vote would increase power in

society

• Queen Victoria against

women’s suffrage, called it

“mad, wicked folly”

Question of Rights

6.Women’s Suffrage

Reforms, Revolutions, and War Section 1

7. Women’s Social and Political Union

Early 1900s, women grew more frustrated with slow pace of

suffrage movement

• Emmeline Pankhurst, founder of Women’s Social and

Political Union (WSPU) said, “You have to make more noise

than anybody else.”

• Government continued to ignore issue of women’s suffrage

– WSPU adopted destructive tactics

– Many suffragists went to prison

• 1918, Parliament granted vote to women over age 30

– By 1928 voting rights for British women were on the same basis

as British men.

Reforms, Revolutions, and War Section 1

During the years of the famine, about 1 million people starved, and

about 1.5 million others emigrated—many to the United States.

Beyond Britain, people living in other parts of the British Empire were

also moved by the spirit of reform. In the mid-1800s people in Ireland,

Canada, Australia, and New Zealand took steps to rule themselves.

• 1801, Ireland joined United

Kingdom as part of Act of Union

• Some Irish hated British rulers,

particularly British landlords who

had power to evict Irish farmers

• Policies created to help British

industry hurt Irish agriculture

Ireland

8. Changes in the British Empire

• Mid-1800s, potato crop failed

several times, left many with no

food, no income

• Potatoes Irish peasants’ main food

source; famine swept Ireland

• Without money to pay rent, many

evicted from homes

Potato Famine 1845

Reforms, Revolutions, and War Section 1

Exports

• Ireland continued to export food through famine years

• Shipments left Irish ports for England under heavy guard by British soldiers

• British officials believed interfering with trade would harm British economy

Self-Government 1920

• Parliament debated several bills to grant home rule to Ireland, 1800s

• Ireland did not receive limited self-government until 1920

Resentful of British Rule

• Famine left many Irish more resentful of British rule than ever

• 1860s, many Irish began to fight for change

• Some wanted independence, others home rule within United Kingdom

9. Ireland

Reforms, Revolutions, and War Section 1

Colonies

• Britain’s colonies in Canada were mainly French-speaking

Rebellions

• Diversity created lack of unity, led to calls for reform

• 1838, Lord Durham sent as governor-general to Canada

• Wanted colonies to unite, form “great and powerful people”

Dominion

• 1867, Parliament granted colonies power to govern selves

• Canada become dominion, self-governing colony; continued to

expand westward

10. Canada

Reforms, Revolutions, and War Section 1

New Zealand

• British government made agreement with local Maori people, land in

exchange for self-rule

• New Zealand became a dominion of Great Britain

• 1893, New Zealand became first country to give women the vote

11.Australia

• Since 1700s, Britain had used Australia as place to send criminals

• Mid-1800s, other colonists began to settle there, attracted by copper,

gold deposits

• 1901, Britain granted self-rule to Commonwealth of Australia;

established own parliament but remained part of British empire

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