Liverpool 1812 - 21

1. Liverpool 1812 - 21

2. How did Liverpool stay in power for so long? • Personality and leadership • A strong Cabinet • Support of the king • Luck • Experience

3. Liverpool and luck • His election was by a small minority • Lack of a credible opponent • Opposition was divided • Whigs divided • The political system worked in his favour – easy to hold onto power

4. Liverpool and experience • Very experience politician • A skilful politician used to hold the cabinet together • Cabinet had a wide range of political views

5. Liverpool and royal support • A strong relationship with the King • King was suspicious of the Whigs • Developed the principle of collective registration

6. How did Liverpool deal with the radical threat 1815 – 21? • The Six Acts • Suspension of Habeas Corpus • Seditious Meetings Act

7. What were the Six Acts • (1) Training Prevention Act A measure which made any person attending a gathering for the purpose of training or drilling liable to arrest. People found guilty of this offence could be transportated for seven years. (2) Seizure of Arms Act A measure that gave power to local magistrates to search any property or person for arms.(3) Seditious Meetings Prevention Act A measure which prohibited the holding of public meetings of more than fifty people without the consent of a sheriff or magistrate. (4) The Misdemeanours Act A measure that attempted to reduce the delay in the administration of justice. (5) The Basphemous and Seditious Libels Act A measure which provided much stronger punishments, including banishment for publications judged to be blaspemous or sedtious. (6) Newspaper and Stamp Duties Act A measure which subjected certain radical publications which had previously avoided stamp duty by publishing opinion and not news, to such duty.

8. What were the key radical protests 1815 - 21 • Spa Fields Meeting • The Spenceans and Hunt • March of the Blanketeers • The Pentrich Rebellion • The Peterloo Massacre • The Cato Street Conspiracy

9. What was Spa Fields • A mass meeting • On of the first held • Held on 15 Nov 1816 • Organised by the Spencean • Henry Hunt was the main speaker

10. Who were the Spenceans and who was Henry Hunt? • Spenceans supported revolution • Not sure it revolution should be organised or spontaneous. • Henry Hunt – radical speaker who wanted reform not revolution.

11. The march of the Blanketeers • March 1817 William Benbow organised a hunger march from St Peters field Manchester to London • Wanted to present a petition to the Prince Regent asking him to relieve distress in the textile industry • 4500 marched, local magistrates declared it seditious and it was dispersed. • 300 set out on the march one person was killed

12. The Pentrich Rebellion • An attempt by the northern working class to take over the north and then march on London. • A government spy – Oliver the spy – exposed them • Only two attempts at uprisings one in Huddersfield one in Nottingham.

13. The Peterloo Massacre • St Peters Field Manchester Jan 1819 • Henry Hunt due to speak magistrates tried to prevent him • Yeomanry could not arrest Hunt • Army called in – panic and stampede- 11 protestors die 400 injured.

14. The Cato Street Conspiracy • Organised by Spenceans • Most extreme and radical group of the time • Plan to assassinate Liverpool and is cabinet on 22 Feb 1820 • Plan was to paralyse the capital and spread unrest across the country • Discovered by George the Spy • 4 tried and executed 5 others transported for life.

15. What debates is there about Radicalism between 1815 – 1821? • Britain was close to revolution due to the mass unrest and protest seen in the country • The threat was exaggerated and point to the fact that the radical groups were not linked or organised.

16. Was Liverpool's government repressive 1815 -21? • Repressive and reactionary • Use of spies • Use of force • Six Acts • Not repressive • Six Acts time limited and not enforced • Habeas Corpus suspended for only 10 months • Seditious Meetings Act lapsed in 1818

17. Liverpool 1822 - 27

18. Who were the Liberal Tories? • Sir Robert Peel – Home Secretary • WJ Robinson – Chancellor of the Exchequer • William Huskisson – President of the Board of Trade • George Canning – Foreign Secretary

19. Liberal Tories Key Themes • The emergence of younger and more energetic ministers gave the government a more liberal image. • The new ministers were more open to the idea of reform • Growing prosperity and a decline in social unrest • Did the social and economic policies represent a departure from the ideas of the previous ministers?

20. What reforms did Liverpool and the Liberal Tories introduce 1822 – 30? • Legal Reforms • Economic Reforms • Trade Union Reform • Catholic Emancipation

21. Legal Reforms • Capital Offences Act – abolished the death penalty for 180 offences. Peel did it as many magistrates were not enforcing the law as it stood. • Prison Reforms Gaols Act 1823 – Gaols set up in every county, officers were to be paid, female prisons had female guards. • Metropolitan Police Act

22. Was Peel a reformer? • Yes • Removed laws not needed • Reorganised the criminal code • Goals act reduced the number of executions • No • Simple completed a process started before him • Simplified criminal code not get more arrests – was not more lenient. • 1805 – 12 67 executions per year • 1822 28 63 executions per year

23. Economic Reforms • Move towards Free Trade idea started by Wallace vice president of board of trade 1821 - 23 • Huskisson and Robinson in charge • Reduction of duties • Navigation Act • Corn Laws relaxed

24. Reduction of duties • Taxes on Rum, Silk, wool, glass, books and paper were reduced • 50% tax on manufacture goods reduced to 20%

25. Navigation Act • Navigation Acts were a restriction on free trade • The repeal in 1823 allowed for non British ships to trade directly with British colonies • Resulted in freer flow of trade and lower prices

26. Corn Laws relaxed • Huskisson introduced a sliding scale of duty on imported corn. This replaced the fixed 80 shilling rate in 1828 • Aim was to make bread etc more affordable whilst retaining traditional supporters.

27. Were the economic reforms liberal? • None of the reforms were new ideas the work of Wallace • The reforms were in place before 1822 but they were still introduced – there may not have been a decisive break with pre 1822 but it was the start of a free trade economy built on by Peel in 1840’s

28. What were the Trade Union reforms? • Repeal of the Combinations Act 1824 • Combination Acts had made strikes illegal • Repeal now meant Unions and strikers not liable to prosecution • Amending Act 1825 • A wave of unrest and strikes followed the relaxing of the Combination Acts. This amendment tightened the law – any act of force by a trade union was illegal.

29. Can the Trade Union reforms be seen as liberal? • At first glance yes – workers could now join unions and campaign for better wages etc • No – the Amending Act placed great restrictions on Unions and prevented them from being truly effective.

30. The impact of the reforms • There was no major ideological shift • Liberal Toryism did reflect a more tolerant and imaginative approach to problems. • Some reforms were of great significance – • The Metropolitan Police Act • The Test and Corporations Act • Catholic Emancipation • Other reforms though less significant set a precedence that marked the beginning of a reform process that would continue for the next 50 years.

31. How important were the reforms • The improvement in the economy was due more to the period of peace than to reforms • Trade did not become “Free” until the 1840’s • The Corn Laws, amended but stayed in place • The Liberal Tories were as committed to the landed interest as their predecessors?

32. How important were the Liberal Tories or How liberal were they? • Perhaps the most significant element of Liberal Toryism was its attempt to embrace the manufacturing interest. • Peel and Huskisson both sought to introduce reforms that would appeal to the new manufacturing interest and its growing political influence. • The significance of the reforms may have been limited but the importance of Liberal Toryism should not be overlooked. • For some they represented a betrayal of Toryism • For others they represented a new attitude and a new generation of Tory Politicians

33. The end of the Tories 1828 - 32

34. What were the reasons for political unrest 1828 – 30. • The collapse of the Tories • Pressure form the emerging middle class • Working class discontent • Political Unions • The Economy • Trade Unions • International events • Catholic Emancipation • Instability in Government.

35. Pressure form the emerging middle class • New M/C wanted political reform • Wanted government to move faster towards free trade • M/C were the backbone of the new industrial economy • M/C wanted political power

36. Working class discontent • Growth of the new industrial cities lead to w/c becoming radicalised • Seemed to be working with the m/c for political change • Effectively majority of w/c wanted better pay etc not the vote • Govt saw a threat from the w/c

37. Political Unions • Organised protest and had a political agenda. BPU put pressure on govt. • M/c seemed to be representing the w/c • Did put pressure on govt but lacked a national organisation.

38. The Economy • Bad harvest and an economic depression 1828 – 30 • Wave of rural unrest - swing riots in south and east of England • Contributed to a growing fear of insecurity

39. Trade Unions • Wave of strikes and demonstrations combined with rural unrest to make govt think a radical threat was real. • Govt perceived a threat from the Unions and the m/c

40. International events • July 1830 – Revolution in France – overthrow of Charles X. • Other revolutions in Belgium and the Hapsburgs Empire (Austria) • This helped to create an atmosphere – what would happen in Britain if there was no reform?

41. Catholic Emancipation • Irish Catholics lead by Daniel O’Connell – right to sit at Westminster • Campaign came to a head in 1829 – fear of open revolt in Ireland led the Govt to grant the Catholic Emancipation Act. Wellington and Peel – led on this. Split the Tory Party. Let in the Whigs

42. Instability in Government • 15 years of stability under Liverpool. • 1827 – 30 3 PM’s Canning, Goodrich and Wellington • Liberal side of Party alienated by refusal of a moderate redistribution of seats. • Reactionary (Ultra) Tories alienated by Catholic Emancipation • Tory Party spilt into 3 • Ultras • Canningites • Wellingtons supporters

43. The Great Reform Act

44. How great was the Great Reform Act 1832 • Key issues • What were the main features of the old system? • Why had this system survived so long? • How and why did the Tories and the Whig parties differ over the issue of reform?

45. What were the main features of the old system? • Who could vote? • County seats men who owned land worth 40 shillings (approx £100) • Boroughs varied enormously • In 1831 12-13% of males could vote out of a total population of 24,132,294. • Elections only held if the seat was contested. • Many boroughs were controlled by large landowners. • Many different types of Borough

46. Why had this system survived so long? • The Landowners • Very important they represented law an order and providers of welfare • The idea of deference • It was the expectation that man of rank would represent ordinary people. • Why does it need to change?

47. Arguments against Reform • The French Revolution • Democracy = mob rule • Democracy was seen as a threat to the rights of a freeborn Englishman not an ideal. • System was not unrepresentative – it represented all major economic interests • A man may not have the vote but is represented by the landlord.

48. Arguments for Reform • Need to reduce the influence of the King and his ministers. • The allocation of MP’s to boroughs depended on its status in the Middle Ages • Example Dunwich in 1831 32 electors and 2 MP’s. Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds no representation in Parliament. • The Rights of Man – legitimate Government must had a mandate from the people in governed. • The impact of Catholic Emancipation was huge – it paved the way for further reform • “the battering ram that broke down the old system” • This measure showed that you could change a system.

49. The Consequences of the Reform Act • To what extent did the Reform Act change British politics? • What were the continuities pre and post 1832? • How significant was the Great Reform Act?

50. To what extent did the Reform Act change British politics? • Limited Change • The Act only tinkered with the edges of reform and too many continuities remained. • There was little change of fundamental importance. • Significant change • Few historians contend that there were major continuities between the pre and post reform period. However – • The Act must be viewed in context and it can then be seen to represent a significant turning point