Britain in early 19th century

• Traditional conservative beliefs in the early 19th century led to conservatives in Britain strongly supporting upholding the monarchy and the Church of England, which it saw as key pillars of tradition and order in society. The monarchy especially was seen as a key of national unity
• Conservatives in the early 19th century strongly supported maintaining a hierarchy social structure and recognised that a key role of the state was to maintain order and security in society
• Key role of the state to maintain order and security was seen in the politicise of the Conservative government under PM Robert Peel who established the Metropolitan Police Service in 1829
• The move towards a professional and organised police force exemplified the traditional conservative emphasis on law and order as essential for societal stability and was a pragmatic recognition for the need to tackle the growing challenged of crime and disorder in an increasing urbanised, industrialised society
• Conservative beliefs in a cohesive society can be seen in Peel’s support for neighbourhood policing, which argued that it should be just be done by force, but through a shared understanding with the public and the police being closely connected with the communities they serve.
• What is Peel’s principle that showed support for cohesive society?

  The police are the public and the public are the police
• Conservative's support for hierarchy can be seen in the fact that many of them were initially opposed to the 1832 Reform Act, which restructured the British electoral system by redistributing parliamentary seat and expanded the electorate to include more middle class men. Conservatives feared that altering the existing electoral system would disrupt the social order and undermine the influence of the aristocracy