The Great reform act 1832

Charles/ earle Grey

-1830's -led whigs

voting before 1832

-500,000 allowed to vote -buroughs: if fire place was big enough, potwolloper conties: land/property owning worth 40s a year

radical/ revolution activity

-Zinoviev letter made middle class afraid -if give them right to vote, move away from radical thoughts and avoid revolution

swing riots

-agriculture uprising -burn haystacks, raid food stores -destruction of threshing machines

problems remaining

-bribery and corruption continues -no private ballot -landowners still had power -women & working class still could not vote -constituencies still varied in seize

electoral system before 1832

-constituencies : Buroughs & counties -each had two MP regardless of size -Yorkshire 17,000 -Rutland 609 -rotten buroughs -less than 500,000 voters

against reform

-destroy monarchy -people would continue to ask for more -decrease landowners power -rotten buroughs were useful -system was fine the way it was

corruption and bribery

-fear and beer -fear: landowners threatened tenants to vote for someone or else they would kick them out -beer: get people drunk so they could trick them into voting for the person

rotten buroughs useful

-gave members of parliament a quick spot -removing reduced the power in the monarchy

rotten buroughs

-had two MP even though virtually empty -50 of them with less than 40 people

no separate representation

-industrial zones meshed together -Manchester & Sheffield

economy decline

-industries were doing well but farming was suffering -swing riots -bad food harvests -price of corn and bread rapidly increased

against land owners

-landowners had their tenants vote -threaten the land, making no where safe -weakens their power -they know whats best, not the voters

catholic emancipation

-many unhappy about it -said if more people were given vote, this wouldn't have been passed

demand for reform

-middle class more demand in right to vote -unhappy about catholic emancipation -decline in economy & swing riots -stop revolutionary/ radical thoughts -king George IV died

the great reform act of 1832

-redistributed 142 constituencies -56 lost two MPS -30 lost 1 MP -borough: owner/tenant of 10 pounds a year -county: freehold property 40s leaseowners 10 pounds tenants 50 pounds

growing pressure from working class

-wanted representation & voice to be heard

destruction of country

-wouldn't be able to govern -house of commons would pity the voters -house of lords, church of England, monarchy destroyed