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Constitutional Reform 1783-1867, how was britain governed and how did…
Constitutional Reform 1783-1867
1783-1812
Pitt proposed bill to redistribute seats 1785
Take seats from rotten boroughs and give to industrial towns
Defeated by king and stopped trying for reform
Charles Grey proposed bill for equal representation 1793
Rejected 282 to 41 votes
1830-1841
The Great Reform Act May 1832
Causes:
Tory party collapse - allowed Whig ascendency
Death of George IV - William IV open to reform - new monarch new election
Fear of revolution - fall of Charles X - radicalism - Swing Riots 1830-31, Days of May 1832
Provisions:
vote to £10 property owners
56 boroughs disenfranchised, 31 reduced to one MP, 67 new constituencies
Voter registration
Formally excluded women from voting
Change:
Expanded electorate in boroughs from 1 in 5 to 1 in 10 men
Scottish electorate 4000 to 65,000
Improved party organisation
Continuity:
Franchise limited - different qualifications in counties - working class excluded
Open ballot - corruption and birbery
Elections every 7 years
Unequal representation of south - 31 boroughs with less than 300 voters - Scotland had less seats than Wales
Upper classes still dominated politics
Rejection of reform bill October 1831
Majority Tory House of Lords rejected bill
Municipal Corporations Act 1835
Cause:
Commission of Inquiry 1833
Councils were self-interested - took funds for perosnal use - didn't improve communities
Disorganised police - were not the responsibility of corporations - Bath had four districts with different authorities while part had no police
Provisions:
Abolished 200 boroughs
179 municipal boroughs established
Yearly elections in which 1/3 of the council was elected
All male ratepayers could vote
Police force was the responsibility of council
Compelled but not necesary to make social improvements
Had to publish their finances
Change:
Councils had power to carry out improvements
Corporations made more respopnsible aand held accountable
Continuity:
Financial restrictions on making improvements, lack of vision
Did not ensure efficiency of local authorities
London excluded because of its size, industrial towns like Birmingham and Manchester were not incorporated until later
Still a restricted franchise
1846-1867
The Second Great Reform Act 1867
Causes:
Great Reform Act 1832 paved way for future reform
Increasing population - 21 million
Urbanisation - increased working class - could not vote because qualification was too high
Resignation of Liberals - Conservatives had to reform - protesters
Conservatives wanted to gain more support
Provisions:
All householders in boroughs and renters paying £10 per year could vote, if they had been living there for a year
Counties all 40s freeholders could vote, vote given to agricultural landowners and tenants with small amounts of land
7 towns disenfranchised for corruption, 25 seats given to counties, 20 seats given to new boroughs, 6 seats given to existing boroughs
Change:
Total number of voters increased from 1.2 million to 2.5 million, 1/3 male population
Improved party organisation - too many voters to bribe
Education improved - wanted newly enfranchised skilled workers to know who they were voting for - needed intellectual ability
Continuity:
Limited franchise
Open ballot
South over-represented - boroughs with a population of 10,000 had the same representation as those with 40,000
Gladstone's 1866 Reform Bill
Proposed relaxtation of voting qualification to give vote to skilled workers and smallholders in counties
Thrown out by group in Liberal party
Pre 1783
Septennial Act 1716
elections held every 7 years
Test Act 1673
equivalent of the corporation act for anyone holding civil or military office
Corporation Act 1661
anyone who held a position in a corporation had to be confirmed into the Anglican church and take holy communion
1827-1830
Catholic Emancipation Act 1829
Causes:
Test and corporation acts
Daniel O'Connell Catholic Association/Order of Liberation - County Clare election
80-90% population Catholic - tithe to anglican church
Provisions:
Catholics allowed to hold public office
No need to swear an oath of supremacy
Could not become Regent, Lord Chancellor or Lord Lieutenant
Voting qualification from 40s to £10
Banned Catholic Association
O'Connell to stand for re-election
Change:
Split Tory party
Peel resign Oxford seat
Continuity:
O'Connell's supporters could not vote w restrictions
Repeal of the Test (1673) and Corporation (1661) Acts 1828
allowed nonconformists to hold public office
how was britain governed and how did democracy and political organisations change adn develop?