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AQA: Industrialisation and the people: Britain, c1783–1885 FULL REVISION NOTES (Achieved 99%)
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Political Change and Social Reform, 1832-18461) Government: Grey, Melbourne and the ideas and ideology of the Whig
Party; the Tories in opposition and government; Peel and the transformation of
the Conservative party
Key Chronology of Governments:
● Dec 1832: Lord Grey and Whigs triumph in general election.
● July 1834: Lord Melbourne accepts office of Prime Minister.
● November 1834: William IV dismisses the Melbourne Government.
● December 1834: Sir Robert Peel becomes Prime Minister.
● April 1835: Lord Melbourne replaces Peel as Prime Minister.
● 20th June 1837: Death of King William IV – Queen Victoria now queen.
● 1841 (June-July): Election gives Conservatives a majority and Sir Robert Peel forms a new
government.
Whigs vs Conservatives Election Results: December 1832-1841
Election Conservative Seats Whig Seats
1832 179 479
1835 275 383
1837 309 349
1841 368 290
Parliamentary situation after the Reform Act:
● Once the Reform Act was passed in 1832 (June), Lord Charles Grey called a general election
in December 1832.
● The newly enfranchised middle classes gave Grey a vote of confidence with a considerable
majority in the Commons.
● Together with the support of the majority of Irish MPs and the Radicals, the Whigs could
command 479 seats, while the Tories had 179.
Difficulties that the Whig Government (under Grey faced):
● Fierce disagreements between the Whigs and Radicals.
o The Radicals were either men who had come into Parliament as a result of the
, Reform Act, such as Thomas Attwood, John Roebuck, or older Radicals such as
William Cobbett.
▪ John Roebuck was elected MP for Bath in 1832 and challenged the Whigs at
every opportunity, earning the nickname ‘Tear ‘em’. He advocated a
reduction of power in the Lords, the abolition of sinecures and a secret
ballot.
o Their effectiveness was reduced as they were divided amongst themselves as to
what issues were most important.
o Their enthusiasm to push for extensive reform was met with irritation from the Whig
Government.
▪ NB: Most Whigs saw the 1832 Reform Act as the final extension of
parliamentary reform and did not wish to see further reform.
● The problems in Ireland (caused tension and splits within Whig Party)
o The privileged position of the Anglican Church in Catholic-dominated Ireland caused
problems.
o There was continuing rural unrest in Ireland +calls for the repeal of the Act of Union.
▪ This was due to the fact that 90% of the Irish population were Catholic, yet
they still had to continue paying tithes to the Anglican Church. This resulted
in the Tithe War (1831-6). This was a campaign of nonviolent civil
disobedience, punctuated by sporadic violent episodes
o The Whigs differed in how to deal with the problem.
▪ Lord John Russel believed in concessions and Lord Stanley, Chief Secretary
for Ireland, in coercion.
o In 1833-34 Church and education reforms were enacted, abolishing a church tax and
effectively reducing the dominance of the Anglican Church in Ireland over the
Catholic population.
o When this failed to settle the discontented population, the Whigs followed their
reforms with a Coercion Act (1833), which gave wide powers to the authorities in
Ireland including curfew impositions and suppression of disturbances (to get
Catholic tenants to pay the tithe).
o Russel reacted by proposing ‘appropriation’, the using of surplus Irish Church funds
for education and social benefits for the largely poor, uneducated Catholic
population. This appropriation clause was part of the Irish Temporalities Act -1833.
o This challenge from Lord John Russel split the Whigs further, causing the resignation
of Stanley and other leading Whigs from the Government and helped to bring down
Earl Grey’s government in 1834. Appropriation + Temporality Act never enacted.
▪ The group of dissident Whigs were known as the Derby Dilly, and included
Lord Stanley, Sir James Graham and Lord George Bentinck.
▪ The Derby Dilly MPs were then absorbed into the Conservative Party.
o Most Whigs were in favour of renewing the existing Coercion Act to deal with the
continuing disorder in Ireland, but when Grey realised moves were afoot behind his
back to dilute the Coercion Act, prompted by O’Connell, he stood down as PM and
Whig Leader in July 1834.
o He was replaced by Lord Melbourne.
,Lord Melbourne’s First Ministry: July-November 1834
● When William IV invited Lord Melbourne to form an administration in August 1834, it was
with the aim of safeguarding himself against policies he disliked.
● Although a Whig supporter, Melbourne was known for his conservative approach to reform
(he was briefly a member of the Canningite Tory administration) and is reported to have said
that ‘change is of itself a great danger and a great evil’.
● He did not see the necessity for more reform after the 1832 Reform Act.
● After forming a government in August 1834, he refused the King’s request to include Peel
and Wellington, to achieve a moderate coalition.
● He then tried to appease the King by excluding Radical Whigs such as Henry Brougham from
his Cabinet.
● When Lord Althorp’s father died, Althorp (Chancellor of the Exchequer) succeeded his
father’s Earldom and was obliged to take up his seat in the Lords.
o To replace him, Melbourne insisted on promoting Lord John Russel to the position of
Chancellor and Leader of the Commons.
o The King, who disliked Russel’s radical tendencies, refused and dismissed the
Government in November 1834 even though it held a majority in the Commons.
● William IV then asked Sir Robert Peel to take office. (confirms his leadership of the party)
The Lichfield House Compact 1835:
● The King’s interference angered the Whigs and the Radicals and a concerted effort was
made to bring down Peel.
● The Lichfield House Compact was an 1835 agreement between the Whig government, the
Irish Repeal Party (led by Daniel O’Connell) and the Radicals to act as one body against the
Conservative Party.
o This enabled O’Connell to push for further reforms for Ireland, as the act promised
Irish support for the Whigs in Parliament and a Whig commitment to carry through
with Irish reforms when they returned to power.
● It was signed in February 1835 in Lichfield House.
● Some historians regard the Lichfield House Compact as the start of the formation of the
Liberal Party.
o NB: The Compact was formed in opposition to the Peelite faction, a group whose
contribution to Liberal ideology played a dominant role in later years.
● The House Compact was one of the reasons that Sir Robert Peel was able to return to power
in 1841 so many voters saw the alliance as dangerous.
o Peel was able to exploit this by claiming that the Whigs were being led astray by
dangerous radicals, whose aim was to attack the British constitution and established
institutions.
● The Compact demonstrates the restricted nature of party affiliations at this time.
, Lord Melbourne’s Second Ministry: April 1835-1841
● When Pitt’s ministry failed, Melbourne returned to office in April 1835, but with fewer Whig
supporters and an increased reliance on the Radicals and the Irish MPs.
● The Lichfield House Compact now came back to bite the Whigs as they had promised Irish
reform in exchange for the support of Irish MPs in the commons.
o The Irish MPs took the opportunity to call for an end to the Act of Union and this
seriously discredited the Whig government.
● Peel played a clever waiting game while Whigs and Radicals quarrelled among themselves.
● The Whigs lost the initiative over various Church reforms, failing to get a reasonable
measure through the Lords to abolish the system of church rates, which imposed a burden
on the Nonconformists.
● August 1837: General election held on the death of William IV. (he died on June 20th)
o The Whigs again lost ground to the Tories.
● The succession to the throne of Queen Victoria gave Melbourne an unexpected personal
boost, as the young, politically inexperienced Queen demonstrated her preference for him
over his political rival Peel.
● Melbourne resigned briefly over what he regarded as a vote of no confidence in the House
of Commons, but when Peel refused to form a government (lack of support in Commons),
Melbourne returned and limped on as PM for another two years.
o This was known as the Bedchamber crisis, and occurred on 7th May 1839.
o Melbourne declared his intention to resign after a government bill was only passed
by the very narrow margin of five votes in the House of Commons. This was a
Jamaican Assembly bill, in the wake of the colonial crisis in Jamaica.
o Queen Victoria first asked the Duke of Wellington to form a new government but he
declined. She then asked Peel, who realised that such a government would hold a
minority in the House of Commons.
▪ Peel accepted the invitation of the condition that Queen Victoria dismiss
some of her ladies of the bedchamber, many of whom were wives or
relatives of leading Whig politicians.
▪ The Queen refused this request, considering her ladies as close friends, and
Peel, therefore, refused to become PM and Melbourne was persuaded to
remain.
● Melbourne was persuaded to remain as PM but had to govern in the context of an economic
crisis.
o There was high unemployment +discontent, and no further reform programme.
o There were 2 new sources of radical agitation: Charism + Anti-Corn Law League.
o From 1837, budgets were in deficit, taxes (both direct and indirect) had been raised
and when Lord John Russel attempted a free trade budget in 1841, it was too late to
convince the electorate.
● The last two years of ineffective Whig rule appeared to justify that the Whigs were content
with office and patronage without real power.
o This Whigs seemed to have lost the will as well as the capacity for further liberal
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