PoliticsThe Need for Change

Dr Sayah

What we will learn today:Progress of British political institutionsResistance to political changeThe Chartist movement in political reform

Political Background

1275 Edward I needed money so called a meeting of Parliament5 groups of representatives :

1 & 2 prelates (bishops and abbots) & magnates (earls and barons); 3, 4 & 5 inferior clergy, knights and citizens.

representatives agreed people should pay the king a tax

Political Background

groups 3, 4 and 5 (the commons) were sent home to persuade people pay taxes. King discussed laws with bishops, abbots, earls and barons (the lords). Parliament called when king needed money. 1547 Henry VIII used parliament during reformation

Political Background

Henry VIII Enhanced importance of Parliament Balance of power in favour of CommonsHOWEVEROnly males owning property worth 40 shillings could vote. Only males with annual income of £600 could be elected 

Before the 19th century

Britain was not a democracy Most politicians did not support democratic values.Voting was not seen as a universal right but as a privilege for the wealthiest class of society

Until 1832

The right to vote depended on three things:

Gender. Only men over the age of 21 were allowed to vote.Property. In order to vote, an individual had to own property over a certain value.Location. Small rural boroughs were able to elect more MPs than much larger towns and counties.

Domination of AristocracyThe universal right to vote had little support in Parliament, which was dominated by the aristocratic landowners. Only people with "a stake in the country", ie paying taxes and holding property take part in politics. Ordinary people, the poor and the working classes, had no voice in Parliament

The Beginnings of ChangeThe French Revolution of 1789 caused interest in ideas of democratic government across Europe. These ideas inspired many groups in Britain to demand a more open and genuine democracy within their own country. The ruling classes in Britain watched with fear the bloodshed that went hand-in-hand with greater democracy in France.

Britain’s TransformationThe population was growing fast, New working and living conditions (country and city) after the agricultural and industrial revolutions.More food, better clothing, more goods to buy. But, sufferance in filthy slums of cities and harsh treatment in factory work.

New Political IdeasPolitical ideas spread more rapidly thanks to:

The concentration of people in towns and cities; The development of railways; and The development of national newspapers.

Rise of Discontent After the wars with France (1803-1815)

HUGE debt from the warFall in demand for manufactured goodsMany factories closed300,000 soldiers in need of work

The Corn Laws: caused a rise of corn prices

The Corn Laws

The Corn Laws

Imported corn taxed and restricted People become angry (They have to eat don’t

they?) The bourgeoisie did not like the corn laws

because:Increased food prices -> demand for higher

wages, made labor more expensiveSlowed down the development of free

trade

The Peterloo MassacreStrikes and mass meetings were commonIn August 1819, a demonstration against the Corn Laws and a push for universal suffrage was organized in Manchesterwas planned to be peaceful: no weapons allowed, and demonstrators instructed to ‘wear their best clothes’

The Peterloo MassacreA vast crowd gathered faced by yeomanry collected by local magistrates.Orator Hunt started to speak but was arrestedGeneral chaos after yeomanry ordered to charge the crowd.11 people killed, including 2 women and a child. Over 400 people were injured

The Six Acts These acts intended to:

Controll private use and detention of weaponsRestrict public meetings Increas tax on printed matter, including newspapers, periodicals and pamphlets. 

Overall, the government wants to reduce the chances of citizens turning against the government

Forced to ChangeReformers: British Parliament no longer represented the country: it had to change, or be forced to do so.Politicians: limited political reforms rather than risk a revolution.1832 Act

Limited reformThe effects of act very limited:

Only a tiny percentage of British men could vote in elections.

Gives middle class suffrage

Unfair geographical representation, southern England more MPs ->better represented

than Scotland or new industrial towns north of England.

Working class disappointed “the Betrayal Reform”