extension of the franchise

• How did the population change in the 19th c

  From 16.3 million in 1801 to 41.6 million in 1901
• How did communication improve in industrial Britain

  - "penny post" meant you could send a letter anywhere

  - telegraphs meant simple messages could travel large distances quickly

  - expanding railway network meant it was possible for people to travel quickly and cheaply around the country and allowed newspapers to be distributed overnight
• What did the whigs believe in

  - political power belonged to the people

  - monarchy was only in power due to an unwritten contract with the people

  - religious toleration

  - supporting economic and social reforms following French and American revolution
• What did the Tories believe?

  - conserving traditional values

  - supported the monarchy

  - supported the establishment of the church

  - opposed changes to the constitution
• What is franchise/suffrage?

  The right to vote
• Problems with the electoral system in the 19th century?

  - workers in new towns and cities began to seek the political representation they were spared

  - boroughs had no one living there but still send 2 mps to parliament (rotten boroughs)

  - corruption in constituencies and boroughs

  - women didn't have the right to vote

  - no secret ballot meant voters could be bribed or intimidated

  - no property qualifications for the right to vote, in some constituencies if they had a fireplace and a door you could vote in others you had to own a house

  - king and major landowners controlled the country
• How were elections in the 1800s?

  - took place on a husting or in open air meetings where allegiance was publically declared

  - MPs weren't paid so only rich could be MPs

  - vote every 7 years

  - every borough had 2 MPs

  - boundaries hadn't been changed in 100s of years so most new, industrial towns had no MPs

  - was common to 'treat' people to ensure vote
• When was Peterloo Massacre? Led by whom?

  August 1819, Henry Hunt, 60,000 people gathered
• Who was Henry Hunt?

  From a farming background

  'Champion of the people
• yeomanry


  middle class land-owners; farmers who were hostile to change
• How did the magistrate respond to the peterloo massacre

  - reminded Manchester magistrate of French Revolution and battle of Waterloo and they panicked

  - magistrate read riot act and sent military to disperse the crowd

  - militalia inflicted sabre cuts and tried to arrest hung and other speakers

  - journalists were arrested, leaders charged with treason, yeomanry praised and cleared of punishment

  - within 10 minutes over 600 were injured and 15 killed
• Who was lord stormont

  - conservative

  - argued British constitution was the wisest and there was no need for dangerous change

  - argued that 'extending the right of voting to all the Roman citizens destroyed the republic
• How did radicals try bring reform

  - 1776- major john Cartwright published a pamphlet called 'take your choice' arguing for electoral reform

  - 15th June 1809- reform bill was introduced and defeated 79 to 15

  - William cobbler produced a weekly widely spread newspaper 'political register'

  - hampden clubs were set up with over 15- by 1817

  - anyone who opposed the government were labelled revolutionary and out to destroy everything British

  - spa fields riots 1815 - 'oppressed for 800 years
• What were the 6 acts 1819?


  - restricted public meetings to 50 people

  - allowed magistrate to search any property

  - made military style drilling illegal

  - increased penalties for seditious or liberal publications

  - increased stamp duty on publications

  - attempt to speed up justice so offenders could be convicted quicker