Class Revision - UK History (August 22nd Lesson)

The Road to Parliamentary Reform - 19th century

Class Revision - UK History (August 22nd Lesson) - Julieta Villalba | JVG - 2022

Multiple Select

True or False: Parliamentary Reform in the UK began as the result of the several revolts occurring during the 19th century.

• FALSE

• TRUE

​Why is this false?

Though the revolts were the medium by which the groups that became enfranchised rose to power, said rebellions were not the causes of the reform. Amongst the factors, the social unrest present in certain sectors of society produced the conditions necessary for change in political representation.

History | JVG

Class Revision - UK History (August 22nd Lesson)

Multiple Select

Check some of the events that reflect the social unrest felt amongst the middle and working class in England at this period in time...

• Rising costs and low wages

• Rising taxes and no jobs

• Poor living and working conditions

• Lack of representation in Parliament

• Tension between free market and regulation

Look at this painting. George Cruikshank, The System Works So Well (1831) The House of Commons is shown as a water mill. The water wheel bears the names of rotten boroughs. Underneath lie the corpses of the poor, and from the mill pours a stream of benefits of being MPs, which they stuff in their pockets, while praising the system and opposing reform. Why is this picture relevant to this topic?

Towns in the north of England, such as Birmingham and Manchester were gaining notoriety for becoming industrial areas and amassing great fortune. The south was, on the other hand, agararian but held more political power.

Although a previous picture showed the "corpses of the poor", those who pushed for reform were the middle class. These men realised that they had influence in local and national politics but suffered lack of representation in Parliament. They sought to change that as they had grievances with the system of Rotten Roroughs.

Look at this painting. E. King. The reformers' attack on the old rotten tree; or the foul nests of the cormorants in danger. (1831)

Why is this picture relevant to this topic?

However...

These factory owners, no matter how powerful they were, did not have the means to produce the necessary changes by themselves. They needed the help of the working classes who made up the workers in their factories. These people had enough reasons to join the cause as they had several grievances...

Amidst the reasons that brought about the discontent of the population were poor living and working conditions, with children working up to 14 hours in factories and mines.

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There was more competition for jobs as soldiers who had returned from the war had taken quite a few, along with Irish immigrants. The latter were willing to work for the minimum wage, which undermined the purpose of demanding for better wages and work conditions.

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To make matters worse, Parliament passed the Combination Acts, preventing workers from forming unions in order to demand a better working environment.

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Multiple Select

As for those who had both economic and political power, we'll call Aristocracy. Who made up this influential group?

• Gentry

• Bourgeoisie

• Nobles

• Men

Poll

In 19th century England, discontent was borne out of an economic crisis and post-war non-prosperity. Were the aristocrats affected by these events?

• Not at all affected

• Somewhat affected

Those who did have political power...they were not seeking any type of revolution whatsoever. However, they were aware of tensions and had divided opinions on the matter.

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Multiple Select

Which two groups are we talking about?

• Parliamentaries

• Whigs

• Royalists

• Tories

Look at this painting. Why is this picture relevant to this topic?

These was the most conservative of the groups. They were in power, represented by the Duke of Wellington, a war hero in the Battle of Waterloo and a man unlikely to alter any institution however necessary that was.

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Nevertheless, he produced a fracture amongst this group as he pushed for Catholic Emmancipation for the Irish. As the Catholic Relief Law passed, Tory power weakened.

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Because of the divisions created, Wellington was forced to resign. ​

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​Tories

Divisions in Parliament

Multiple Choice

TRUE OR FALSE: There were some Tories that appreciated the middle-class point of view and agreed that reform was necessary.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Men like Sir Robert Peel (who was himself a manufacturer's son) were amongst those who contemplated the possibility of reform within Parliament.

​

Some of them shared the ideas of Enlightment so they were aware of the social unrest amongst the population.

​

At the same time of Wellington's Catholic Relief Bill, they hadn't won an election in a very long time. They saw the division amongst the Tories as an opportunity to regain power. They would accomplish this by allying themselves with those who pushed for reform. Moreover, in doing this they thought they were avoiding the explosion of a revolution - a feat they prided themselves in.

Whigs

Divisions in Parliament

Multiple Choice

The Whigs allied themselves with those who pushed for reform in the manner of revolts.

• TRUE

• FALSE

There was no way the Whigs would ally themselves with the rowdy crowds. They preferred to surround themselves by "respectable men". The association between the Whigs and the factory owners who pushed for changes in political representation was made to benefit both sides. Together through non-violent means, they would achieve their goals. Or so they thought.

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Open Ended

Though the MPs and the "moderate" reformers may have denied it, some of the greatest strides that made the reform possible happened due to more "radical" men taking matters into their own hands. Could you mention a few of the methods they used?

Some methods:

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Strikes

Machine Breaking

Demonstrations

Newspapers and Pamphlets

Formal Petitions

Refusal to pay taxes​

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Open Ended

At this point, it is really obvious to say that the Government's response was harsh. Could you mention some ways they used to supress these uprisings?

Response of the government:

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Censorship

Combination Laws

Hard Legal Penalties

Repression (Peterloo)

Suspension of Habeas Corpus

Sending people to the Penal Colony in Australia​

A change needed to happen. After Wellington's resignation, Lord Grey became Prime Minister. The first Whig PM in almost half a century. Along with the other leader of the Whig party, Lord John Russell, they would help change the matter of political representation for the middle-class.

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Lord John Russell introduced the Great Reform Bill in the House of Commons in 1831. The Bill proposed many different things...

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Open Ended

Mention some of the provisions of the Great Reform Bill

The Bill would abolish the Rotten Boroughs

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• Halve the representation of other boroughs

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• The vacant seats would be given to Manchester and Birmingham, and other industrial cities

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Multiple Choice

How many attempts were necessary for the Great Reform Bill to pass?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

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Poll

What do you think? Was it a "Great" Reform Bill?

• Yes

• No

• I'm not sure

• It's complicated

Thank you so much for participating! :)

Class Revision - UK History (August 22nd Lesson) - Julieta Villalba | JVG - 2022