2. Reforms in the British Empire
Preview
Starting Points Map: European Possessions
Main Idea / Reading Focus
Social and Political Reforms
Victorian Era Voting Reforms
Quick Facts: British Reforms
Changes in the British Empire

3. Click the icon to play Listen to History audio.
Click the icon below to connect to the Interactive Maps.

4. Reforms in the British Empire
Main Idea
During the 1800s Great Britain passed many democratic reforms that changed the way people lived and worked.
Reading Focus
How did social and political reforms change life in Britain during the early 1800s?
What reforms helped to shape the Victorian Era?
What changes transformed the British Empire?

5. Social and Political Reforms
During the 1830s industrialization led to rapid changes in British society, and some began to call for social and political reform.
Growing prosperity of working, middle classes led to greater demands for political reform
1800, landowning aristocrats made up most of Parliament
Some industrial cities had no representatives at all
Only wealthy male property owners could vote; public office restricted to men of wealth
Industrial Revolution
1830s, demands for reform too strong to ignore
Liberals challenged old aristocratic, conservative order
Reform Act of 1832 gave industrial cities representation
Also gave voting rights to middle-class men who owned certain amount of property
Women excluded from voting
Reform Act of 1832

6. Sadler and the Factory Act
While Parliament debated Reform Act, one member investigated treatment of children in Britain’s textile factories
Michael Sadler showed harmful conditions endured by child workers
Report noted physical mistreatment, long hours, low wages
Reaction to Report
As result of Sadler’s report, Parliament passed Factory Act, 1833
Act limited working hours of children in textile factories, made it illegal for teenagers to work more than 12 hours per day
Children between ages 9 and 13 had to receive two hours schooling per day

7. Other Reforms New Laws Chartism Parliamentary Reaction
1833, Parliament abolished slavery in Great Britain, all British Empire
Government compensated slave owners depending on how many they freed
Parliament also passed new public health and crime laws
Chartism
1839, group called Chartists worked for voting rights for all men
Name from People’s Charter, petition sent to Parliament demanding voting rights, secret ballot, annual elections, pay for representatives in Parliament
Parliamentary Reaction
People’s Charter rejected; Chartists gained wide popular support, staged uprisings; large revolt, 1848
Chartists did not see immediate results but many reforms passed eventually

8. Compare
How did the demands of Chartism compare to the voting reforms passed in 1832?
Answer(s): 1832 voting reforms redrew borough lines, extended vote to many middle-class property owners, gave parliamentary representation to many industrial towns, but not to industrial workers; Chartists called for additional reforms, extending the vote to all men, vote by secret ballot, annual elections, payment of representatives in Parliament

9. Victorian Era Voting Reforms
In 1837 Queen Victoria became the ruler of Great Britain. The Victorian Era lasted until It was a time of great change, including voting reforms that made the country more democratic.
1868–1885, two influential prime ministers, William Gladstone, Benjamin Disraeli, elected several times
Disraeli and Gladstone
Gladstone, Liberal party, took more progressive approach to solving society’s problems
Disraeli, Conservative party, wanted to preserve traditions of past
Liberal vs. Conservative
Disraeli put forth new reform bill to extend voting rights to more working men; passed 1867
Another law created the secret ballot; discouraged bribery, intimidation
Male Suffrage

10. Women’s Suffrage Question of Rights 1867 Reform Bill
1800s, women not seen as equals to men; could not own property, not legal guardians of their children
Many women thought right to vote would increase power in society
Queen Victoria against women’s suffrage, called it “mad, wicked folly”
Question of Rights
Disraeli argued that if a woman could be queen, she should be able to vote
Tried to add women’s suffrage to 1867 reform bill but did not succeed
Suffragists tried but made little progress for nearly 40 years; lobbied, signed petitions, educated public
1867 Reform Bill

11. Women’s Social and Political Union
Early 1900s, women grew more frustrated with slow pace of suffrage movement
Emmeline Pankhurst, founder of Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) said, “You have to make more noise than anybody else.”
Government continued to ignore issue of women’s suffrage
WSPU adopted destructive tactics
Many suffragists went to prison
1918, Parliament granted vote to women over age 30
By 1928 voting rights for British women were on the same basis as British men.

13. What reforms were passed during the late 1800s?
Summarize
What reforms were passed during the late 1800s?
Answer(s): voting rights expanded for men, secret ballot created

14. Changes in the British Empire
Beyond Britain, people living in other parts of the British Empire were also moved by the spirit of reform. In the mid-1800s people in Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand took steps to rule themselves.
1801, Ireland joined United Kingdom
Some Irish hated British rulers, particularly British landlords who had power to evict Irish farmers
Policies created to help British industry hurt Irish agriculture
Ireland
Mid-1800s, potato crop failed several times, left many with no food, no income
Potatoes Irish peasants’ main food source; famine swept Ireland
Without money to pay rent, many evicted from homes
Potato Famine
During the years of the famine, about 1 million people starved, and about 1.5 million others emigrated—many to the United States.

15. Ireland Exports Resentful of British Rule Self-Government
Ireland continued to export food through famine years
Shipments left Irish ports for England under heavy guard by British soldiers
British officials believed interfering with trade would harm British economy
Resentful of British Rule
Famine left many Irish more resentful of British rule than ever
1860s, many Irish began to fight for change
Some wanted independence, others home rule within United Kingdom
Self-Government
Parliament debated several bills to grant home rule to Ireland, 1800s
None of them passed
Ireland did not receive limited self-government until 1920

16. Canada Colonies Rebellions Unity Dominion
Britain’s colonies in Canada very different
Some mainly French-speaking, others mainly English-speaking
Rebellions
Diversity created lack of unity, led to calls for reform
1837, rebellions in Canadian colonies convinced British reform necessary
Unity
1838, Lord Durham sent as governor-general to Canada
Wanted colonies to unite, form “great and powerful people”
Dominion
1867, Parliament granted colonies power to govern selves
Canada become dominion, self-governing colony; continued to expand westward

17. Australia
Since 1700s, Britain had used Australia as place to send criminals
Mid-1800s, other colonists began to settle there, attracted by copper, gold deposits
1901, Britain granted self-rule to Commonwealth of Australia; established own parliament but remained part of British empire
New Zealand
British government made agreement with local Maori people, land in exchange for self-rule
New Zealand became a dominion of Great Britain
1893, New Zealand became first country to give women the vote

18. Compare and Contrast
How did self-rule come about in Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand?
Answer(s): potato famine left Irish resentful, 1920: limited self-rule; 1867: British granted some Canadian colonies self-rule; Australia granted self-rule; Maoris in New Zealand exchanged land for self-rule