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Liberal Party Reforms

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‘The Conservatives did more than the Liberal Party to advance the cause of reform in the period 1866 to 1885’ Explain why you agree or disagree with this statement. During the period from 1866 until 1885 the electorate widened significantly from 1.3 million voters to 5.5 million. There were many factors in the rising demand for Parliamentary reform such as; an increasing population, internal migration, Radical and Trade Union campaigns, American Civil War, an economic depression and the visit of Garibaldi. Alongside the extension of the franchise the political voting system became far less corrupt and therefore results were a better representation of the people’s beliefs. The Conservative and Liberal Parties were the most influential throughout …show more content…

It was formed from the combination of the four groups: Whigs, Liberals, Radicals and Peelites. The Whigs were the most right, supporting slow, gradual change and the Radicals were on the far left championing universal adult male suffrage. William Gladstone was the leader of the Liberal Party and in many ways was very conservative in his ideas. In respect to reform he believed it was necessary to end abuses or out-of-date practices and was best carried out by individuals or institutions and the government should only intervene as a last resort. However, Gladstone was often contradictory as he often ended up supporting reforms because change evidently needed to take place and therefore they were passed under his governments. Like Disraeli, Chamberlain’s sincerity can also be questioned but what distinguishes Chamberlain is that under his government numerous substantial reforms were actually passed and therefore his motives become almost unimportant. Another noteworthy politician is Joseph Chamberlain who was a Radical Liberal disliked by Gladstone. Chamberlains ultimate priority was social reform and action, pushing for parliamentary reform with the aim to secure universal male suffrage. He was champion of the Radicals and had huge influence within the party. Although Gladstone, leader of the party, may not have been supportive to extensive reform it is indisputable that the party as a whole had a …show more content…

In 1866 the Liberals failed to pass a very limited reform bill which would have enfranchised 400,000 men with no proposal to redistribute parliamentary seats. Although the bill was only limited it would have still secured a change yet the Conservatives opposed it as “it is still theirs, and not ours, and will give them control of the boroughs for half-a-dozen years to come”- Disraeli. Under Gladstone’s Liberal Government there was a period of great electoral reform 1872-85. Firstly, in ‘The Ballot Act 1872’ was passed. The Act made voting secret and therefore reduced bribery and corrupt practices greatly, especially in Ireland, but not completely as there were ways of buying votes e.g. buying a beer. However, it was not introduced by the Government, but by Edward Aldam Leatham, brother-in-law of John Bright, in a Private Member’s Bill, although we cannot commend the Government for passing the bill Latham was a member of the Liberal Party. In 1883 the Government introduced ‘The Corrupt and Illegal Practices Act’ which was supported by Gladstone. The Act removed corruption during general elections. Bribery and treating was prohibited, limits were set on the amount of money candidates were able to spend daunting a constituency election campaign and agents and candidates would be legally liable for any violations of the law. This Act was

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