Guided Question: Judge the effectiveness of this particular government in regard to its actions and agendas.
Thesis: For hundreds of years that Britain past governments had been avoiding major changes in the legislative body, in 1832 when culture and social pressure was one of the many contributions that lead the reform to be generally passed, future of changes in Britain/England was obviously inevitable; the majority of legislative population (middle-working class) convincingly drove the Whigs government to enact several effective changes in the voting system.
Guided Question: What particular individuals played key roles?
Thesis: In 1830, when the Whigs returned to power, with Lord Earl Grey as the Prime Minister (one who proposed the reform), the foreseen final solution to the endless social issue, inequality of classes, was successfully accomplished with the unexpected sources of supports from King William IV and the opposing party Tories.
Demands of changes and the growth of Industrial Revolution had driven the country for changes in their political system. The cause was from the perspective of the British (believing that political changes was definitely one the many best ways to suspend and permanently discontinue economical crisis. Led by Earl Grey, the Whig party profoundly motivated to achieve what the people needed. The presentation of the first bill in March1831 was rejected from the political views in the House of Common.
Votes of Women Christabel Pankhurst (right) and Anne Kenney (left)
The Reform was certainly not a new idea from the Whigs
party, who only put proposal into actions. During the time of King Williams IV,
there were still some underlying opposing forces from the House of Common and
dis-encouragement and dis-enfranchise from the King himself. The people then
did not give all of their supports to the Whigs's proposal for changes in the
voting system since no hope was presented in the time of the unforeseen future
of changes. The Reform act did relatively less to appease the low-working
class, but the Whigs already gained potency and authority and supports from the
middle-working class, since voters were required to possess property worth £10,
a substantial sum at the time. This split the alliance between the working
class and the middle class, giving rise to the Chartist Movement.
This 1832 cartoon by John Doyle shows the British public
helping Earl Grey against William IV and the Duke of Wellington
This Reform of the 1832 lessen the pressure from the middle
class but on the other perspective provoked the "call for another changes
(reform)" from the low-working class. Although the government disenfranchised
the legislative body of many rotten boroughs, some still remained such as
Totnes in Devon and Midhurst in Sussex. Passively, the Reform Act strengthened
the House of Common due to the fact that the elimination of the undue rotten
boroughs also lessened the concern for the number of the nomination of the
opposing matches in the parliament. In addition, one of the many possibilities
that induced conflicts in the performance of the Reform Act could come form the
fact that "the more legislative body, the more the votes to be
bought."
It is truly plausible in itself that for every groups or
individuals to be in relationship with the Reform Act, whether for or against
the proposal, hidden profits must be a very considerable reason for their
involvements. In a way, no one ever
works only for the idealistic actions in a fastidious process of the government
system. The opposing Tories party clings to the old system of parliamentary
elections before 1832. Member of Parliament were mostly drawn from Britain's
wealthiest nobles with substantial property. it was not until late nineteenth
century when well-educated scholars are able to formally enter the congress for
electoral candidates. Most Members of the Parliament looked forward to
directing for small towns or boroughs, some of which they bought and sold.
Voters often took bribes form prospective Member of Parliament. Farm laborers
and tenant farmers often worked on the land owned by the prospective Member of
Parliaments. The Industrial Revolution discontinued this pattern of
dishonorable action.
Great Reform Bill 1832
Also known as the Representation of the People Act, the Reform Act 1832 introduced changes to the electoral system of England and Wales. There was opposition from the Parliament but it finally passed after public pressure. The Act granted seats in the House of Commons to large cities. It also increased the number of people allowed to vote.
The middle and working classes started to form alliances
among themselves under the support from political unions. The Members of
Parliament and King Williams IV, with threat of revolution in Great Britain
(which had just happened in France) and execution of monarch and nobility,
passed the Reform Act, the Whigs successfully fulfill its role. Lord Grey won
his general election and was favored for driving Britain and Wales to
preferable political environment. However, in 1829, further complication in the
economic crisis affected Great Britain as a whole; many low-working class
people were made unemployed and agricultural product promptly underwent the
increase in price. Citizens desperately saw political changes as a way to
escape this descent economical phenomenon.
Overdue unemployed working class standing in lines for state bread foundation
Combination of riots and organized protests forced the
government to ensure the citizen that the Reform Act will somehow be passed.
Twenty percent of new male voter were included in 1832. Also none of the
remaining rotten boroughs had Members or Parliament to govern them; on the
other hand, new towns such as Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds by then had
Members of Parliament. Only a small fraction of the total radical protesters
were satisfy with these reforms because huge masses of people in 1832-1833
still did not have voice in the electoral votes.
Danger of revolution gradually disappeared with the passing
of the Reform Acts and the continuation of changes: free elementary education,
state universities, welfare, state of human rights (all of these extended the
choice and augment chances of the people.) Elections were still screened with
bribery and violence. Britain and Wales was still operated by the same group of
nobles before the reform; though, they
struggled to obtain votes from the working classes.
Lord Earl Grey during the formation of the Great Reform Act
How England Used to vote: Comedy sketch: Setting: before 1832
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