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AQA: Industrialisation and the people: Britain, c1783–1885 FULL REVISION NOTES (Achieved 99%)
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Pressure for Change, c1783-18121) The British political system in 1783: government and representation;
national and local democracy; Whigs and Tories.
King George III:
● Became King aged 22 in 1760.
● He was idealistic and conscientious. He wished to play an active role in political life.
● He wanted to restore monarchy to unfettered use of prerogatives, and thought this was his
God-given duty.
● He used his powers of patronage to influence Parliament on issues about which he felt
strongly.
The King’s Powers:
● The King was expected to take the initiative in choosing his Prime Minister. Parliament was
usually expected to support the Prime Minister in whom the King had placed his trust.
● The King chose the leading ministers that would serve him and they were each individually
answerable to him. He consulted with ministers personally, and also had the right to sack
them.
● The King appointed peers to the House of Lords.
● The King also appointed people to a multitude of lesser offices, which gave him great powers
of patronage.
● The King expected to be consulted about legislation and stop any he disapproved of. He
therefore still influenced general policy. However, he never actually used the Royal Veto on
legislation (Queen Anne was the last monarch to do this, in 1708).
● The King was expected to use his legitimate influence to sustain his governments.
● He also retained the power to summon and dissolve Parliament.
Limitations of the King’s Powers:
● The King could choose his ministers, but they had to be chosen from within Parliament.
● The ministers had to be able to command parliamentary support.
● The King could not rule without Parliament. If it was dissolved, a general election had to be
called immediately.
● The monarch was financially dependent upon Parliament which would only grant funds to
the monarch on an annual basis, through the civil list.
● The Bill of Rights of 1689 had established the principle of the supremacy of Parliament.
● (In reality, political power was shared between the King and Parliament.)
,A Constitutional Monarchy:
● Form of government in which a hereditary monarch is head of state, with powers limited by
Parliament; it is sometimes referred to as a mixed constitution.
● The Bill of Rights of 1689 aimed to prevent any future monarch interfering with the law and
restricted the power of the monarchy.
● It was Parliament that made laws, took decisions on taxation and spending and
debated issues of national and local importance.
● However, the monarch, not Parliament, stood at the centre of the political stage.
● It was mostly assumed that Parliament would cooperate with the monarch, and stable
government depended on this.
The Importance of Patronage:
● Political power was a fine balance between King and Parliament, which depended upon
patronage to make it work. Patronage was the key to holding the political system together.
● If the King had not been able to reward loyalty through handing out well-paid positions,
annual pensions and honours (such as knighthoods), he would have lost control of
government. His power of patronage gave him considerable political influence.
● The ministers also had limited powers of patronage to build up their support in the
Commons or in the country.
● Loyalty was expected in return for the privileges or the appointments given.
● However, no government could sustain itself by patronage alone. Governments therefore
had to win the support of Independent MPs by argument.
The Cabinet: (small, manageable group of ministers)
● Ministers were appointed to the Cabinet individually, not as members of a successful
governing party. Most Cabinet members sat in the House of Lords.
● They did not come to power to implement agreed policies and each members of the
cabinet was personally responsible to the King.
● Held weekly meetings, and advised the monarch.
The Prime Minister:
● From within the cabinet, the First Lord of the Treasury normally became the monarch’s
prime minister.
● It was important for the monarch to choose someone whom he could trust as his chief
representative in Parliament, as they were responsible for the performance of the
government as a whole.
● It was vital that the prime minister enjoyed the confidence of the House of Commons in
order to carry through the business of government.
● The monarch, therefore, tended to choose a prominent member from one of the two main
political ‘parties’, Whigs or Tories.
● The PM was then able to use public patronage, handing out honours, positions and
pensions, to cement essential parliamentary support.
,The Composition of Parliament:
● Parliament consisted of two houses – the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
● The Lords, made up of unelected hereditary peers, the ruling elite, had great political
influence, including the power to block measures passed by the Commons.
● New peers could be created by the monarch if he wanted to reward loyalty
(patronage). In 1783 there were 220 peers sat in the House of Lords.
● The members of the House of Lords had little interest in political reform.
● The House of Commons was an elected assembly, although not democratic, as few men had
the right to vote. Less than 500,000 adult males could vote.
● The Commons controlled taxation and its main duty was to act as a check on the executive
(ministers). The House of Commons comprised 558 elected members (MPs).
● General elections to the House of Commons were held at least every seven years by law.
● Within the Commons there were several different factions and interest groups, which made
it difficult to achieve control of a stable majority.
● The growth of ‘parties’ in 18th century strengthened the Commons.
● The PM had to have the support of the majority of the Commons to carry on government.
● The Lords was meant to represent the aristocracy whilst the Commons was meant to
represent the wider popular opinion – THIS WAS NOT THE CASE, as the two houses were
socially closely aligned. (therefore didn’t truly represent different interests)
● Many MPs were in fact members of aristocratic families. 20% of MPs were sons of
peers.
● About 200 MPs, even if they were not themselves aristocrats still were substantial
landholders and broadly represented the shared interests of the landed elite.
● There was therefore a clear reason to believe that the Commons could not act as a
check on the powers of the aristocracy.
● Men of ordinary means were excluded from standing for Parliament. A county
member had to have an annual income of £600 and a borough member an annual
income of £30.
Society and Social Terms:
● Society was organised according to the rank in which a person was born.
● The minority made up the propertied classes, who had wealth, power and social superiority.
● They could be divided into:
● The aristocracy. The privileged, ruling elite who were great land owners.
● Those with substantial property and local influence.
● The gentry, whose position in society was based on lesser land ownership.
● There was a small, prosperous, expanding middle class, among whom were the wealthy
merchant class.
● The vast majority of the population belonged to the lower orders, the property-less
labouring classes and the poor.
Achieving a Government Majority:
, ● Lacking reliable party support, 18th century governments had to create their own majorities.
● This was done by assembling majorities from the mixed patchwork of parliamentary
groupings.
● The main way the government sought to exert control was through the exercise of
patronage – the distribution of rewards, honours, jobs and pensions.
● There were three main groups to work with.
● The Placemen. These were the MPs who held office under the crown. They were in
politics for the money and the prestige and would normally support any
government. They numbered about 100-120.
● Professional politicians. These were ambitious MPs who sought high government
office. These provided the leadership in parliament. Most of these professional
politicians held their seats due to the patronage of a wealthy landowner.
● Independent backbench MPs. These were not seeking government office, but they
did seek favours for their families and for their localities. They numbered about 200.
They were proud of their independence and their voted could not be relied upon,
though generally they supported the government. The professional politicians
mainly devoted their arguments and persuasion towards them (independent MPs).
The Veneration of the English Constitution:
● Most of the ruling elite, and many foreigners, venerated the Constitution (treated it with
high regard), which they claimed was the bulwark of liberty.
● They conceived it in terms of balance.
● However, in reality, Parliament was dominated by wealthy and influential landowners and
aristocrats, who saw little necessity for any change in the existing system.
● They were in Parliament principally to look after their own interests, to seek political
advancement and to benefit from the system of patronage.
● There was a firm belief among the ruling classes that the British Constitution was close to
perfection, with power balanced nicely between King and Parliament and that ‘Englishmen’
enjoyed the benefits of a free and democratic nation.
● There was independence of the judiciary, religious toleration and a free press.
● Thus, the Constitution was generally regarded as liberal and democratic.
● The ruling elite believed that authority exercised by those of birth, rank, property and
learning, would preserve a stable and well-governed society.
Local Government:
● Britain was governed by the landed elite.
● This government owed relatively little to central government.
● England was governed by a miscellaneous collection of unpaid local authorities all of which
owed their position to rank and property.
● There were two main figures of importance in local government. (see next page)
Lord Lieutenants of the Counties: sat in House of Lords
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