1. Liberal Government In Great Britain

2. Civil Unrest in Great Britain
Postwar-Napoleonic economic depression led to civil unrest in Britain.
Aug, 1819 – Protesters gathered in St. Peter’s Field, Manchester were attacked by Government troops. Eleven people were killed in what became know as the Peterloo Massacre.
Peterloo Massacre, 1819

3. Tory Reforms
Younger Tory leaders began to push for reforms in the 1820s.
Robert Peel, the home secretary, reformed criminal codes and reorganized the police (bobbies).
Free trade policies put in place by reducing tariffs on imports.
Religious restrictions removed.
Test Act Repealed in 1828
Catholic Emancipation passed in 1829.
Robert Peel

4. Reform Bill of 1832
Whigs won the election of 1830, replacing the Tory government of the Duke of Wellington.
PM Earl Grey introduced electoral reform.
It was blocked two times by the House of Lords.
Passed with threat of adding Whig peers to the House of Lords by king William IV (r – 1837).

5. Reform Bill of 1832
Eliminated 56 “rotten boroughs” and “pocket boroughs” and redistributed their 111 seats, 32 smaller ones lost one of two seats in the House of Commons.
The bill lowered property qualifications to include most middle class men, expanding the electorate by 800,000 men.
Earl Grey

6. Reforms Expand
In 1833, slavery was abolished throughout the British Empire.
Factory Act of 1833 placed restrictions of child labor.
Those under age 9 could not work in mills.
9 to 13 work 9 hours, 13 to 18 could work 12 hrs
Municipal Corporations Act of 1835 created town councils.

7. Repeal of the Corn Laws
Anti-Corn Law League (est. 1839) campaigned for repeal of Corn Laws (tariffs on grains)
Adopted in 1815, the laws provided protection for landowners by inflating prices.
Middle class reformers argued that elimination of tariffs would lower grain prices, helping the workers and industrialists.
Under pressure of the Peelites (splitting the Tories) and the effects of the Irish Famine, the Corn Laws were repealed in 1846.

8. The Chartist Movement
Agitation continued for further reform and the creation of the People’s Charter in 1838 by a group of working class leaders.
Demands centered on:
Universal Manhood Suffrage
Secret Ballot in Voting
End of Property requirements to office
Salaries for MPs.
Creation of Equal Electoral Districts
Annual Elections for the House of Commons.
Presented demands to Parliament in They were ignored. Agitation continued through 1848.

9. Great Britain The Reform Bill of 1867
Expansion of the electorate was a major issue debated by the Conservatives (Tories) and Liberals (the old Whigs).
Each side hoped to gain the support of the working classes by giving them the vote.
The Conservative government of Benjamin Disraeli passed reform in 1867, but the expanded electorate gave the Liberals power in 1868.

10. Great Britain William Gladstone
Liberal Party Leader, served as PM four times.
Disliked by Queen Victoria.
Known as the “Great Ministry” due to Gladstone’s strong religious convictions.
His Liberal governments passed reforms in education, workers rights to unionize and strike and the secret ballot.

11. Great Britain Benjamin Disraeli Served as PM twice.
Liked by Queen Victoria
Renewed Tories after the Corn Laws schism.
Committed to program of “Tory Democracy”.
Expanded government’s role in economy, regulated working conditions, improved sanitation.

12. Great Britain The Irish Question
The question of Irish Home Rule (a separate parliament for Ireland) plagued Gladstone’s later governments.
Since Catholic Emancipation in 1829, growing numbers of Catholic MPs demanded home rule.
Two home rule bills (1886, 1893) were defeated by Conservatives and anti-home rule Liberals.

13. Great Britain The Labour Party
The growth of labor unions and associations like the Fabian Society gave voice to socialism in Britain.
The Labour Party was founded in 1900 by Scotsman Keir Hardie.
By 1906, Labour had won 26 seats in parliament and would by the 1920s replace the Liberals as one of the two major British political parties
Keir Hardie

14. The Parliament Act of 1911
The Liberals dominated government from 1906 to 1924.
In 1911, a “People’s Budget” was presented, which the Conservative House of Lords failed to pass.
King George V (r ) threatened to appoint new Liberal peers, the Lords passed the bill.
As a result, Parliament passed a measure restricting the powers of the Lords (could not stop budget and repeated bills passed by the Commons.)
King George V