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Reform of Parliament - Coggle Diagram
Reform of Parliament
Problems pre- 1832
- Rotten borough- unequal distribution
- Dominated by the nobility
- Unfair enfranchisement
- Right to vote seen as an inherited privilege- linked to property
- Potwalloper- right to vote based on fireplace
- Pocket borough- in the pocket of 1 wealthy landowner
- Scot and lot- adult males who paid local taxes
- Plural voting- voting in county and borough
- 4% of the population had the vote
10.Scotland only had 45 seats
WILLIAM PITT THE YOUNGER 1780s
- Dedicated his life to politics
- Pushed for removal of rotten boroughs (Sudbury, old Suram)
- Proposed taking votes away from rotten boroughs and passing the electoral responsibility to landowners
SOCIAL- Nobility and aristocracy possessed too much power as they dominated the electorate
ECONOMIC- Economy was good
POLITICAL- Swing riots 1830/ Spa fields 1816/ peter loo 1819/ pentridge 1817 (long term), French rev
Chronology to 1832
- Earl Grey PM 1830-34, formed a whig government after Wellington resigned
- Believed in 'reform in order to preserve' and wanted reform large enough to satisfy public opinion
- Lord John Russel proposed the bill (finality Jack)
- William 4th threatened to create new peers in favour of reform
- Lords backed down and passed
1832 GRA
- 56 RB lost both of their MPs
- 44 new boroughs with 2 MPs created in the North (redistribution of seats)
- Adult males who owned property worth £10 a year in rent enfranchised (middle class)
- 40% borough voters 55% for counties
LIMITS
- WC members still not enfranchised
- Plural voting continuation
- Still had to pay poor rates
- Still based on property ownership
The Ballot Act 1872
CAUSES
- Smaller boroughs still influenced by landowners
- Pocket boroughs remained
PASSAGE
- Proposed in 1870 by liberal MP
- Defeated by lords in 1872
- Successful later in 1872
IMPACT
- Bribery did not go away
- Elections were less violent
- 1880 election was most expensive
- Electors could take bribes from both sides
-
1820s turning point
- Whigs came into power
- Catholic Relief Act 1829 (created divisions in cons party)
- Further protests
- Downturn in economy
- Second French rev in 1830
-
1867 Reform Act
CAUSES
- Reform league created
- Newspapers made people more politically aware of the American CW, Italian unification and Polish revolt
- Disraeli passed the bill because mos cons were desperate to stay in power
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