Unit 36.1 - Protest, agitation and parliamentary reform in Britain, c1780-1928
Summary
Summary of Radical Reformers in Britain
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Unit 36.1 - Protest, agitation and parliamentary reform in Britain, c1780-1928
Institution
PEARSON (PEARSON)
A summary of the radical reform period in Britain . Includes the following:
- London Corresponding Society (LCS)
- Spa Fields Meeting 1816
- Pentridge Rising 1817
- Peterloo Massacre 1819
- Government response to protest
- Radical reformers (leaders)
Unit 36.1 - Protest, agitation and parliamentary reform in Britain, c1780-1928
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Who were they?
Extra-parliamentary protests 1790-1819
Range and degree of reform
- Advanced Liberals → London Corresponding Society 1792-4
radicals (LCS)
- Moderate radicals wanted Aims and methods
household suffrage with - Universal suffrage
certain qualifications - Annual Parliaments
- Extreme radicals wanted - Used more peaceful measures to spread
universal suffrage and a message, e.g. petitions and political
secret ballot education
Foreign policy Significance
- Some were strong supporters of Palmerston’s aggressive - Organisation collapsed after gov’t
foreign policy claimed they had strong revolutionary overtones
- Supported Empire’s conquests - Leaders and members put on trial but were acquitted →
- Other radicals were pacifists and had strong moral and organisation quickly disbanded
religious beliefs - LCS known for their very low subscription rates and emphasis
- Did not want to encourage economic interdependence between on political education
countries - Significance may be slightly exaggerated as they only had
5000 members at their peak
Nonconformism
- Religious liberty was one of the only unifying factors between ↓
the radicals French Revolutionary Wars put a halt on radical activity as this
- Some wanted temperance reform
would be seen as treacherous and unpatriotic
- Created secular societies to counter religious influences
↓
Social reform
- Wanted gov’t regulation of factories and public health Spa Fields Meeting 1816
- Wanted to modify the rights of private property in the case of Aims and methods
housing reform Hunt
- Another unifying factor between radicals was a need for gov’t - Create a petition to send to the Prince Regent pleading for parliamentary
intervention and rid Britain of its laissez-faire approach reform
, - Use influential speeches and mass meetings to spread this idea
Spenceans
- Abolition of the monarchy and a violent overthrow of social and political
order Peterloo Massacre 1819
- Universal suffrage Aims and methods
- Use physical force at the meeting - Universal suffrage
- Looted gunsmiths, attempted to seize the tower of London etc. - Repeal of the 1818
Corn Laws
Significance - Held a peaceful mass
- 1st meeting and petition was rejected by the Prince regent meeting with bands and
- 2nd meeting became riotous → dispersed by Lord mayor dancing
- Ring leaders were put on trial - Henry Hunt would present a speech to the crowd
- The trial exposed the gov’t use of agent provocateurs, which
instigated the riotous behaviour Significance
- Spa fields demonstrated the stark difference between physical - Manchester Magistrates deemed the meeting as a threat and
and moral force sent the yeomanry to arrest Hunt
- The yeomanry became violent and killed 18 people at the
Pentridge Rising 1817 meeting
Aims and methods → rewarded by the government for this
- Revolutionary overthrow of government - This became the last major disturbance until the 1830s
- Brandreth and leaders co-ordinated a plan of insurrection to - The massacre provoked widespread rioting
seize control of Nottingham at the same time as an uprising in
London Government Response to Protest
Significance
Suspension of Habeas Corpus and the trials of the LCS leaders
- Oliver the Spy fed back information of the plan to Lord
1794
Sidmouth
Causes
- The rebels were met with soldiers before they could reach
- An LCS and SCI meeting was seen as treason against the
London
government
- 80 arrested, 14 transported, Brandreth and 2 others publicly
- The LCS called for a national reform convention
executed
- Members of the LCS and SCI were arrested on the ground of
- Oliver the Spy had orchestrated the whole uprising and its
treason
demise
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