1. Background to the reform
The Great Reform Act 1832
Background to the reform

2. Elections Pre-1832 Who could vote?
County seats men who owned land worth 40 shillings (approx £100)
Boroughs varied enormously
In % of males could vote out of a total population of 24,132,294.
Elections only held if the seat was contested.
Many boroughs were controlled by large landowners.

3. Who had all the power? The Landowners The idea of deference
Very important they represented law an order and providers of welfare
The idea of deference
It was the expectation that man of rank would represent ordinary people.

4. Types of borough constituency
Rotten borough – areas with little or no population but still had an MP. Old Sarum near Salisbury no people, landowner was the voter.
Pocket borough – landowner used his influence to control the voters to elect the candidate of his choice
Scot and Lot – all the men who paid local taxes could vote
Potwalloper – men could vote if they lived in a house with a fire place large enough to boil a pot.
Corporations – only members of the local council could vote
Freeman = all men who had acquired the title of freeman through an apprenticeship could vote.

5. Arguments against Reform
The French Revolution
Democracy = mob rule
Democracy was seen as a threat to the rights of a freeborn Englishman not an ideal.
System was not unrepresentative – it represented all major economic interests
A man may not have the vote but is represented by the landlord.

6. Arguments for Reform
Need to reduce the influence of the King and his ministers.
The allocation of MP’s to boroughs depended on its status in the Middle Ages
Example Dunwich in electors and 2 MP’s. Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds no representation in Parliament.
The Rights of Man – legitimate Government must had a mandate from the people in governed.

7. Catholic Emancipation
The impact of Catholic Emancipation was huge – it paved the way for further reform
“the battering ram that broke down the old system”
This measure showed that you could change a system.

8. Views on Reform
Traditional view is that reform came about because of the gradual pressure from without.
More recent research suggests that the move to reform came from within – MP’s started to recognise the need for change.
In the country – rising middle class demanded a say in politics
The return of popular radicalism
Swing Riots, formation of Political unions
Parliament needed to regain the trust of the people

9. Key issues What were the main features of the old system?
Why had this system survived so long?
How and why did the Tories and the Whig parties differ over the issue of reform?