results and reactions to reforms

• What event led to a decrease in popular discontent in the early 19th century?

  The 1832 Reform Act
• How did the 1832 Reform Act impact the potential for revolution in Britain?


  It was able to prevent a revolution
• What was the effect of the 1832 Reform Act on the alliance between the middle class and workers?

  Parliament was able to split up the middle class-worker alliance
• What was the consequence of the split between skilled workers and the middle classes after the 1832 Reform Act?


  It made it much easier for the government to control any further discontent
• How did the 1832 Reform Act strengthen the House of Commons?

  It demonstrated its ability to overcome the monarchy and the lords
• What did the 1832 Reform Act indicate about the government's reliance on the lords and corn?


  It showed that a government could survive without their support
• How were the lords affected by the changes brought about by the 1832 Reform Act?

  The lords were weakened, as without pocket boroughs they had far less control over the representatives in the commons
• What did both the Whigs and Tories realize they needed to do for electoral success after the 1832 Reform Act?

  They needed to organize themselves nationally
• What was the impact of the ability to vote on the middle classes' presence in parliament?

  There was no surge of middle classes into parliament despite their ability to vote.
• Why did the difficulty and high cost of being an MP deter many individuals?

  Being an MP was a full-time job that required significant financial resources.
• What was the minimum requirement for members of parliament regarding landed estate?

  Members needed to have £600 worth of landed estate.
• What was the effect of the high election expenses on the composition of parliament?

  The composition of parliament was largely dominated by the upper classes as a result of high election expenses.
• How many elections were contested between 1832 and 1867?

  Only around 52.5% of elections were contested during that period.
• What was the nature of the candidates in the elections during 1832 to 1867?


  The rest of the elections simply had one candidate agreed upon by the upper classes.
• What was a significant issue regarding voter influence during elections?

  Without a secret ballot, intimidation and influence from landlords could be exerted upon voters.
• What type of issues continued to dominate the political scenes of many constituencies?

  Local, not national, issues continued to dominate the political scenes.
• What was the state of parliamentary seat distribution regarding population numbers?

  Many parliamentary seats remained unequally distributed concerning population numbers.
• What was the sentiment of the working classes after the 1832 reform?

  They felt disappointed and somewhat betrayed by the middle class.
• Why did the working classes feel betrayed after the 1832 reform?

  Because they did not benefit at all from the reform.
• What did the Charter appeal to the working classes for?

  It addressed all the key issues still unresolved in 1832.
• What was significant about the Chartist movement?

  It was the world's first solely working class movement.
• How many signatures did the Chartist petition garner in 1842?

  Three million signatures.
• What factors greatly influenced the rise of Chartism?

  The economic situation, including high unemployment and high prices.