Political Developments under Gladstone and Disraeli

AQA History

Challenge and Transformation: Britain c1851-1964

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  • Created by: evekav
  • Created on: 09-03-21 14:40
Which party dominated government from 1866 to 1886?
The Liberal Party.
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Which groups made up the Liberal Party?
The Whigs, Liberals, Radicals and Peelites.
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Who were the Whigs?
Powerful aristocratic landowning families, they were instrumental in passing the First Parliamentary Reform Act in 1832.
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Where did the leading Whigs sit?
In the House of Lords while junior Whigs disassociated themselves to call themselves the Liberals.
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Where were most Liberals from?
Middle-class business and commercial backgrounds or were lawyers and professional men and came into parliament in 1832.
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What did these Liberals believe in?
Individual liberty, free trade, freedom of the press and religious freedom. Many were Dissenters or Nonconformists who believed the Church should be separate and free from the state.
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Who were the Peelites?
They had left the Conservatives after the split caused by the Repeal of the Corn Laws, most came from wealthy industrial and commercial backgrounds.
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Who were the Parliamentary Radicals?
They were free thinking middle-class people who wanted change in social order, opposed political and economic dominance of the landowning classes, and wanted an extension of the franchise, removal of gov restrictions and free trade.
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Who was the most influential Radical?
John Bright
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When did Gladstone become leader of the Liberals?
1866 - after the resignation of PM Lord John Russell
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What was Gladstone's catchphrase?
'Peace, Retrenchment and Reform' - he believed if peace could be maintained with other nations, it would mean trade and industry would be unhindered by war and taxation would be kept under control.
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What did the Liberals see taxation as?
Depriving people of the freedom to spend their money as they wished, by reform they were concerned with bringing about changes in laws and institutions that prevented people acting freely.
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What political philosophers did the Liberals influence?
John Stewart Mill, Jeremy Bentham and Walter Bagehot.
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Where did Liberal support come from?
Towns and boroughs- middle class men saw the Liberals as reflecting their aspirations and values, as well as skilled craftsmen who kept the Liberals in power after they got the vote in 1967.
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How did the provincial press keep the Liberals in power?
It saw an increase in newspaper titles and circulation, newspapers such as the Newcastle Chronicle influenced large numbers of voters across industrial towns.
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How did Model Craft Unions keep the Liberals in power?
The unions developed in the 1850s and gave their support to the Liberals, they represented skilled workers and when they won the right to vote they gained further support.
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How did the political activities of the Nonconformists keep the Liberals in power?
The Nonconformists wanted to achieve equal treatment with the CoE, this campaign was led by the Liberation Society, this support was crucial and ultimately kept Liberals in power.
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How did the Nonconformists help keep the Liberals in power?
Nearly 50% of the church going population was Nonconformist, the wealthiest and most influential lived in the industrial areas where the Liberals were strongest.
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What were the problems with the Conservatives?
They were absorbed with regaining power after the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846 and there were few politicians in the party with any real quality apart from Disraeli.
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What was Disraeli's background?
His family was Jewish, there was lots of negative stereotypes surrounding the religion, he was clever and tenacious and an excellent debater in the Commons. He was despised and distrusted by many in his party.
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What happened after Derby's retirement?
Disraeli became PM, he realised to win support of the electorate it was vital to present them with new policies.
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Why was it important to use public speakers?
Most people couldn't read or write so public speakers meant the parties could get their message across, John Bright was a key figure in this.
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What did Disraeli do around policy?
He persuaded Conservatives it was no good following trade protection when it was clear Whigs' free trade policy resulted in rise in living standards.
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What did Disraeli bring the party round to?
Accepting the principle of parliamentary reform to update the party's image with the electorate. He developed ideas on social reform.
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What happened after the Conservative defeat in the 1868 election?
Disraeli set about managing the reorganisation of the party machinery, which helped bring about a Conservative victory in the 1874 election.
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What changed during the 1960s in parliament?
(Changing attitudes towards parliamentary reform)
Attitudes-helped bring parliamentary reform to the forefront. The old Whig Party was transforming into the Liberal Party, in which commercial and industrial members had growing influence.
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How were the Radicals in Parliament?
(Changing attitudes towards parliamentary reform)
They were becoming more effective within the Liberal Party and MP John Bright increased his influence on Gladstone.
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What made the Liberals more prone to accepting the extension of the franchise?
(Impact of rise in living standards and population changes on increasing demands for reform)
There was an improvement in the standards of living among the skilled working class with their improved level of education.
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What had skilled workers done to prove themselves responsible to the Liberals in order to get the vote?
(Impact of rise in living standards and population changes on increasing demands for reform)
They had saved their wages in Friendly Societies or the Post Office Savings Bank.
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What was the problem with the constituencies?
(Impact of rise in living standards and population changes on increasing demands for reform)
The size of them had become uneven from population growth and movement from country to urban areas. No new constituencies had formed leading to under-representation.
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What had Liberal middle-class manufacturing MPs vested an interest in?
(Impact of rise in living standards and population changes on increasing demands for reform)
In securing an increase in the number of seats in these areas in order to extend their political influence.
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What did the Radicals do to push the extension of the franchise?
(Radical Pressure)
John Bright toured the country encouraging ordinary men to demand their democratic rights, he put forward convincing arguments on behalf of skilled workers in favour of the franchise.
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What did John Stewart Mill do?
(Radical Pressure)
His writings were influential in raising the interest in political debates surrounding the extension of the franchise.
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What were instrumental in creating a popular surge of interest in reform?
(The growth of interest in the democratic ideal)
The American Civil War and the movement for Italian Unification-they were seen as struggles for freedom and democracy.
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Who was Garibaldi?
(The growth of interest in the democratic ideal)
The hero of the Italian unification movement, he visited London in 1864.
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What did the visit of Garibaldi do in London?
(The growth of interest in the democratic ideal)
It excited crowds and spurred on leading Radicals to revive an interest in British politics and reform-thousands flocked to hear him speak and when his meetings were clamped down, there were protests.
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What did this lead to?
(The growth of interest in the democratic ideal)
The setting up of a new political organisation in February 1865 - the Reform League.
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Who was the Reform League?
Mainly a WC alliance with strong trade union support and a few wealthy MC backers.
Their aim was to work towards democracy through universal male suffrage and radical reform.
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What were local branches able to do?
(Reform League)
They sprang up in manufacturing towns where it was able to mobilise its considerable force of trade union members and make its presence felt.
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Where did additional pressure come from?
Leading trade union men in the London Trades Council who met in 1866 and started to organise a campaign for reform.
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When was the Reform Union created?
April 1864
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Who was in the Reform Union?
MC organistaion
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What did the Reform Union want?
It called for a secret ballot and focused on seeking the redistribution of seats to correct the imbalance.
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What did John Bright encourage?
The two organisations to work together for the extension of the franchise for working men but the class divide created tensions between them.
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What did Gladstone and Lord John Russell present in 1866?
A well-reasoned, moderate Reform Bill which would give the vote to skilled workers in large industrial towns and small tenant farmers in the country.
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What was the response to the Reform Bill?
There was Conservative opposition and fierce opposition from within their own party, it was defeated and Russel resigned and replaced by a minority Conservative gov with Lord Derby as PM.
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What factors influenced Derby and Disraeli to introduce another bill?
*Deteriorating conditions in the economy
*WC frustration over lack of reform progress
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What did Asa Briggs maintain the main catalyst for the success of the reform passing was?
The 'break in economic prosperity' in 1866 and 1867.
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What were the problems during 1866 and 1867?
*Bad harvest from previous year
*Outbreak of cholera
*Stock market tumble-financial house collapse
*Threatened high unemployment
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What happened in Hyde Park, 23 July 1866?
Outbreak of violence- Reform League meeting was prevented from taking place (similar demonstration May 1867)
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What was Asa Briggs' argument about Disraeli?
He was able to seize the moment and introduce a new bill and take credit at what was a 'Liberal reform'.
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What did Disraeli accept to get the bill through Parliament?
Radical George Hodgkinson's Amendment
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Who was allowed to vote under the Second Reform Act, 1867?
*all male householders over 21
*lodgers paying £10 a year in rent
*40 shilling freeholders (in counties)
*£5 copyholders and £12 tenants-at-will (in counties)
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What did Disraeli do to help the Conservatives win the next election?
He thought by pushing the reform they could win the votes of the new enfranchised voters and the Conservatives could be seen as the change that is needed not an anti-reform party.
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Was Disraeli successful?
No-an unfavourable economic climate and rise in income tax left the Conservatives low in the polls and the Liberal domination continued.
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What did Lord Derby describe the Second Reform Act to be?
A 'leap in the dark' as it was uncertain what the future political system would be.
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What was the impact of the new bill?
Voter number was increased from one million to around 2.5 million- one third of the male adult population.
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What was still an issue after the reform bill?
There was only limited redistribution of seats- eg Birmingham and Manchester only received one extra seat and the overall distribution did not match the populations.
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Who was over-represented and who was under-represented?
*Rural areas remained over-represented
*The Midlands, the north and Scotland remained under-represented.
*Boroughs with 10,000 people had the same MPs as one with 400,000 people.
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What did the increase in the electorate lead to?
Both parties improving their organisations to attract new voters, as well as an indirect 1870 Education Act as politicians believed voters should be educated.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Which groups made up the Liberal Party?

Back

The Whigs, Liberals, Radicals and Peelites.

Card 3

Front

Who were the Whigs?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

Where did the leading Whigs sit?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

Where were most Liberals from?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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