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AQA: Industrialisation and the people: Britain, c1783–1885 FULL REVISION NOTES (Achieved 99%)
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Economy, society and politics, 1846 – 18851) Government and developing party organisation: the development of the
political system and party realignment; the emergence of the Liberal Party
The effect of the repeal of the Corn Laws on the Conservative party:
● The damage sustained by the Conservative Party over the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846
brought about a significant realignment of the two main political parties.
● There was significant opposition to repeal within the Conservative Party.
o 1844: Central Agricultural Protection Society formed under the leadership of the
Duke of Richmond. Became known as the ‘Anti-League’.
o 241 Conservatives voted against Repeal (only 112 for)
● In June 1846: 69 of the most embittered backbenchers joined forces with the Whigs,
Radicals and Irish MPs to defeat Peel’s Irish Coercion Bill. – Peel resigns.
● There were now 5 different political groups in Parliament as Russel was PM.
o Protectionist Conservatives. They were at first led by Lord Derby, followed by
Bentinck and then Disraeli. There were around 240 protectionists.
o Peelites. Firstly led by Peel until his death in 1850, followed by Aberdeen and
Gladstone. There were around 120 Peelites.
o Whigs. Led by Russel and Palmerston.
o Radicals. Led by Cobden and Bright.
o The other group comprised the 105 Irish MPs.
● The Radicals generally supported the Whigs.
● The Peelites seemed uncertain as to whether they should finalise their break with
Conservatism and support the Whigs or whether to return to the Conservatives.
● The Conservatives were unable to form an effective alternative to Liberal Government.
o Liberals had more of an appeal as Conservatives seemed out of touch.
o Under Lord Derby, the Conservatives did not aggressively try to undermine the
government as he was happy to keep the Liberals in government (especially under
Palmerston) to check the Radicals as Pam was vehemently against parliamentary
reform.
The return of many Peelites to Conservatism?
● The extent to which the Peelite/Protectionist split affected the two-party allegiances can
easily be exaggerated.
● Only in the election of 1847 were the Peelites a numerous body in Parliament.
● By 1857 the informed political diarist Greville estimated that not a dozen Peelites remained
in splendid isolation from the two-party system.
● In 1852: The Peelites had fewer than 50 supporters as many Peelites rejoined the
, Conservatives as they dropped protectionism that same year.
● One ex-Peelite, Sir John Pakington, accepted a Cabinet post in Derby’s First Minority
Government.
● With their leader now dead, many Peelites returned to the Conservatives.
Brief chronology of ministries and achievements of them:
There were 9 ministries over 20 years = period of political instability.
● Lord Russel’s First Ministry, 1846-52.
o This Whig government survived for six years with support from the Peelites.
o Achieved the furtherance of Free Trade: the abolition of the Navigation Acts in 1849.
▪ The Navigation Acts aimed to protect British trade from any foreign
competition by stating that all goods shipped from any part of the world to
Britain, or to British colonies, had to be carried in British ships. This would
ensure that profits from trade with colonies would be brought into the
British economy.
o This government was generally seen as weak and ineffective.
● Lord Derby’s First Ministry, 1852.
o This was an ineffective, conservative minority government.
o This was known as the ‘Who? Who? Ministry’ as in the absence of the Peelites, its
ministers were relatively unknown and inexperienced.
o Disraeli was Chancellor, but his budget gets shredded by Gladstone.
o NB: Conservatives officially abandoned protection in 1852 and the name
Conservative had been adopted again in 1848 (from Protectionist).
● Lord Aberdeen, 1852-55. This was a Whig/Peelite coalition. He was previously foreign
secretary under Peel.
o 1853: Gladstone’s highly successful budget shows intention to abolish income tax.
o He was blamed for his inefficient management of the Crimean War and was forced
to resign.
● Lord Palmerston’s First Ministry, 1855-58.
o Palmerston concentrated on foreign affairs, patriotism and promoting British
interests abroad and won popular support for a time.
o He was popular both inside and outside of parliament.
o Fell over the Orsini Plot as Pam’s conspiracy to murder bill did not pass in Commons.
● Lord Derby’s Second Ministry, 1858-9.
o Disraeli was Chancellor again.
o Progressed democracy by abolishing the property qualification to stand as an MP in
1858. This also allowed practicing Jews to sit in Parliament.
▪ NB: MPs were still not paid.
● Lord Palmerston’s Second Ministry, 1859-65. Whig-Peelites and Liberals
o Palmerston’s chief concern was still foreign affairs.
o Palmerston blocked all reform and died in office.
o Gladstone as Chancellor tidied up the loose ends on Free Trade.
● Lord Russel’s Second Ministry, 1865-66. Whigs, Peelites, Liberals and Radicals
o On the eve of winning and election, Russel formed a government.
, o He immediately introduced a bill for the reform of Parliament, but failed to convince
enough of his own Party and was defeated.
● Lord Derby’s Third Ministry, 1866-68. Conservative government.
o Passed the Second Reform Act in 1867.
● Disraeli, 1868.
o Ill health forced Derby’s resignation and he nominated Disraeli as his successor.
o Although he was supported by the Monarch, Queen Victoria, Disraeli lost in the
1868 election after 278 days in office and resigned.
▪ He resigned before Parliament met, demonstrating the increasing powers of
the electorate to form/dissolve governments. Disraeli was publically
acknowledging the effective sovereignty of the electorate.
▪ NB: Queen Victoria disliked Gladstone intensely.
The development of the political system:
● The 1832 Reform Act had strengthened the concept of representative government and
made the political system more democratic.
o More men were able to meet the property requirement of the Act as there was the
continuing creation of wealth due to industrialisation.
o This had the effect of weakening the political power of the Monarch.
● 1837: As Queen Victoria came to the throne the British monarchy was unpopular.
o At this time members of the Royal Family were lampooned mercilessly in the press
for their vulgarity, low morals, extravagance and stupidity.
o However, under Victoria the monarchy survived and indeed flourished.
● The position of the monarchy was based on established traditions rather than a written
constitution.
● Although every piece of legislation still required the consent of the Monarch, and the
Government was carried on by ministers in the name of the Monarch, the business of
government continued without royal interference.
o It had become accepted that the Monarch would not interfere in elections and this
reduced her influence in the Commons.
o E.g. Disraeli’s resignation after 1868 election shows power of electorate and at this
stage, it was not politically acceptable for the monarch to dismiss a weak
government.
● However, Victoria was never politically neutral (e.g. Bedchamber Crisis), and took a great
interest in government and wielded influence in the appointment of bishops and high-
ranking army officers.
o She was also symbolically significant.
o 1876 Royal Titles Act makes Queen Empress of India.
● Walter Bagehot, the political philosopher, in his study of the parliamentary system, The
English Constitution (1867), defined the Monarch’s rights as ‘the right to be consulted, the
right to encourage and the right to warn’.
o He was in effect giving an opinion on what he believed to be the appropriate
political boundaries within which Queen Victoria should operate.
● As political reform continued, it ensured that the political party was the choice of the people
, and the Prime Minister was the leader of the largest part in Parliament, which could gain the
confidence of the House of Commons.
● MPs in the House of Commons still largely represented the landed interest.
o 1852: Pam describes Commons as ‘an assembly of gentlemen’.
o NB: MPs still not paid even though property restriction gone by 1858.
o 1832-67: over 1/3 of MPs were from aristocratic families.
o However, after 1870 landowners fell to less than 30%.
● At no election between 1835 and 1867 did more than 1000 candidates stand for election to
the 638 seats in the Commons.
o 1858: 58% of seats not contested.
● Influence and wealth still important.
o In 1874, Lord Churchill and Arthur Balfour virtually inherited family constituencies.
● The development of party whips.
o Worked hard to ensure good attendance at the beginning of each session.
o Increased party discipline but unlike modern counterparts, could not effectively
force MPs to vote a certain way.
● Transformation from parliamentary to party government.
o Franchise increases meant that parties had to appeal to a wider electorate.
o Reduction in patronage meant that governments could no longer rely on the support
of the monarch and had to have a majority in the Commons.
o Increase in number of seats contested.
▪ National issues become more important and people vote for programmes or
reforms.
o Later measures such as Secret Ballot Act etc reduced local influence.
The emergence of the Liberal Party:
● The Liberal Party was formed in 1859 from the combining of several political groups in
Parliament – Whigs, Liberals, Radicals and Peelites.
o A meeting was held by the key members of the four groups in Willis’s Rooms near St
James’s Palace in London and a motion was passed to come together under the
banner of the Liberal Party.
● By 1859 it made sense to unite into one political party and mount a stronger challenge
against the Conservatives.
● 10th June 1859: After a vote of no confidence in the Conservatives in the House of Commons,
the first true Liberal government took office, with Lord Palmerston as Prime Minister and
William Gladstone as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
o However, it was not until the death of Palmerston in office in 1865, that Liberalism
became firmly established as a political creed and people began to talk about a
Liberal Party.
● The term ‘Liberal Party’ had first been used during the 1830s and by the 1840s some Whigs
referred to themselves as Liberals.
The composition of the Liberal Party: Ideological agreements vs differences
● The Liberal Party had a very disparate character.
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