Pitt to Peel

Finance:

• Smuggling - extended rights to stop and search cargo, greater penalties, made smuggling more risky and less attractive, reduced debt
• Taxation - more efficiently collected, luxury goods (poor not overburdened), unpopular: window, coal, cotton, linen (halted industry)
• Sinking Fund - 6 commissioners, annually paid into, £10 million reduction in debt

Administration: 

• Sinecures and Placemen - disappeared within 20 years, reduced waste in government, 
• Treasury Committee 1875 - treasury control increased efficiency, oversaw public expenditure, 
• Central Stationary Office 1787 - stationary supply, cut deficit
• Consolidated Funds Act 1787 - one account, bid for money

Trade:

• USA: threat to commercial supremacy, Committee of Trade rejected barriers, Navigation Acts protected British shipping from foreign competition, imports/exports carried by British ships
• Europe: low tariffs, Eden Treaty, ended diplomatic isolation
• East India: trade improved, East India Bill (gave Britain more power), helped by end of tea smuggling

• French Revolution: demands for reform
• War with France: reduced radical writings (Paine and Burke), Britain prosperous, economy, patriotism, one cause
• Impact of APLP and loyalist societies
• Weakness of corresponding societies: middle class leaders, lack of unity, low membership, incidents divided
• Royal proclamation about Seditious Writings 1782
• Repression: Suspension of Habeus Corpus (twice), Treasonable Practices Act, Unlawful Oaths Act, Seditious Meetings Act, 'reign of terror

Economic: 

• Luddites 1811-16
• Corn Laws 1815
• Income Tax repealed 1816

Social:

• Spa Fields Riot 1816
• March of the Blanketeers 1817
• Pentrich Rising 1817
• Peterloo Massacre 1819

Political:

• Cato Street Conspiracy 1820
• Queen Caroline Affair 1820-21

Social: (moderately liberal - didn't do much)

• Penal Code
• Gaols Act
• Metropolitan Police 

Economic: (liberal)

• Free trade
• Corn Laws Modified - sliding scale 1828
• Navigation Act (relaxation of)

Political: (not liberal - no liberal intent)

• Catholic Emancipation 1829
• Repeal of Test and Corporations Acts

Reasons for reform: Expand/Secure Whig Power, Ideology/keep promises, Popular Discontent

Terms:

• 56 rotten boroughs and 111 MPs lost their representation 
• 44 seats given to 22 large towns including Manchester, Leeds and London Metropolitan Districts
• 21 smaller towns given one MP each 
• franchise given to 40 shilling free-holders and £10 copy-holders
• no secret ballot 

Impact:

• confined industrial interests within urban constituencies
• divided opinion amonst w/c 'great betrayal' 
• growth of local party association 
• Tony Carlton Club and Whig Reform Club

Earl Grey: 

• Great Reform Act 1832
• Abolition of Slavery 1833
• Factory Act 1833
• First Education Grant 1834 
• Introduced the Poor Law Amendment Act 1835

Melbourne:

• Municipal Corporation (elected councils) 1836
• Compulsory registration of births, deaths, marriages
• Tithe Commutation Act 1838 (tax to Church)
• Penny Post 1840

Reasons for Whig Failure:

• no new ideas
• supporters were disappointed by the slow pace of reform (Poor Law)
• Chartism 
• economic depression in the early 1840s

Reasons for Conservative Victory:

• majority support 
• economic protection of the landed interest
• defence of the Church 
• scared Whigs would modify the Corn Laws

• Carlton Club and FR Bonham 1832
• Peel's 100 Day Ministry
• Tamworth Manifesto
• Renaming of Tory Party - Conservatives 
• Rebranding the Tory Party (stood for: moderate reform etc.)
• Responsible opposition 
• Lichfield Compact (Irish, Whigs and Radicals and issue of Irish church revenue)
• Ecclesiastical Commission set up by Peel so the Church of England could reform itself

Why did Peel repeal the Corn Laws? Irish Famine, ACLL, Peel's Ideology

• Peel's conversion to freer trade (Huskisson)
• Arguments for repeal of Corn Laws: population growth, Irish Famine, ACLL (did not want to be seen as giving in to political pressure)
• Arguments for the Corn Laws: ensured stable prices, prevented fluctuations, protection of goods
• Formation of the ACLL: Cobden and Bright, aimed for total abolition of Corn Laws, propanganda and large-scale mass meetings, gained popular support 
• Irish Famine - main reason for the repal of Corn Laws (CL was a barrier to the provision of food to the Irish and needed to be removed)
• Chartists: demanded political reform
• Comparison of ACLL and Chartists: ACLL specified aimes, where Chartists demanded many changes

• Problems for Peel: deficit of £2m, high rate of unemployment, economic slump, Chartists and ACLL
• Economic liberalism - self-interest 
• Trickle down effect - that social problems would sort themselves out when the economy is prosperous
• 1842 Budget - Introduced income tax 
• 1845 Budget - abolished all export duties
• Social reform: (Ashley implimented these on Peel's behalf) Factory Act and Mines Act - improving conditions and reducing working hours/exploitation of women and children, Peel ignore public health issues however (rejected advice given by a commission)
• Commercial legislations: Bank Charter Act and Companies Act - improved businesses, reduced fraud and corruption, confidence restored and economic improvements visible

• Peel's attitude to Ireland: wanted to reform economy (weak), politics (Act of Union 1800) and religion (willing to put the maintain of law and order above the maintain of protestant constitution - Catholic Emancipation)
• Attitudes of Conservatives: Church of England, moderate reform, law and order, protecting landed interests, support of the monarchy 
• Catholic Emancipation 1829 (O'Connell)
• Devon Commission 1843 (not passed)
• Irish Colleges Bill 1844
• Charitable Bequests Act 1844 
• Maynooth Grant 1845
• Irish Arms Act 1845
• Clontarff Meeting (O'Connell unsuccessful and arrested)
• Importance of Ireland: wrecked Peel's career, exposed a divided party, the Irish famine