‘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 In respect to reform he believed it was necessary to end abuses or out-of-date practices and was best carried out by individuals or institutions and the government should only intervene as a last resort.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
1. Explain the ways that participation in political campaigns and elections in the United States changed between 1815 and 1840, and analyze forces and events that led to these changes.
It can be argued that Disraeli was the architect of reform during the late 1860’s and through 1867 reform act, mainly due to the fact that he realised that the conservative party might be seen as non-reforming. To counter this he would expand the franchise and gain potential new voters. However there is also significant evidence that Lord Derby was the main architect of reform, mostly due to the fact that he had been part of the 1832 reform bill and when he returned to power in 1866 he took the lead in presenting the conservative reform bill.
The 1906 UK general election was a shock event in British politics when the Liberal party not only beat the Conservative party but gained an unprecedented amount of their seats in Parliament. The Two main reasons for the Conservative loss , the 1902 Education Act and Tariff Reform, were both acts by the Conservatives themselves. Alongside these two reasons, the Liberal party also had a very successful opposition campaign which possibly could have won them the election on its own.
Almost all of the leaders in the House of Commons and in some other sections of politics, such as newspapers, called for a reform to the British Electoral System, which ultimately led to reform and the later repealing of the Corn Laws. Numerous reasons were given as to why reform was vital for Britain, a country which was having some difficulties since the Corn Laws were introduced 1815. Most of these reasons were economic, as taxes were high, it hurt the middle class, and there was possibly even some despotism in England. All of these factors led to a commotion in England for a reform which finally came in 1832.
Also, voters and politicians now nominated candidates, rather than the political party leaders in Congress. This and other events led to a more democratic society.
Firstly the House of Lords reform where the voting rights of most hereditary peers was abolished. This makes the UK less undemocratic rather then more democratic. This is due to the fact that the House of Lords as a whole is an unelected chamber and therefore undemocratic, however by removing the voting rights of some
‘One nation’ is an idea that is based upon principles such as paternalism, and it is the name given to describe this particular faction of the conservative party. ‘One nation conservatives’ is the name given to the followers of the ideas presented by Benjamin Disrael, and the belief in changing Britain from ‘two nations’ i.e the rich and the poor, and instead creating one. Benjamin Disraeli adopted one nation conservatism for both ethical and electoral reasons. Before he became leader of the Conservative Party, Disraeli had announced that, as a result of the Reform Act of 1867 the party needed to pursue social reforms if it was to have
26. Although the power of the national government increased during the early republic, this development often faced serious opposition. Compare the motives and effectiveness of those opposed to the growing power of the national government in TWO of the following.
Another political change was the growth in democracy, specifically in the expansion of
With regards to seats the Reform Act still didn’t push towards democracy however there were still some democratic features. The disfranchising of rotten boroughs was seen as democratic and in addition reducing the representation of boroughs in comparison to counties also leaned towards democracy. In spite of this the seats still didn’t correspond very closely to the population and rural areas still continued to be over representative. Small boroughs still remained and towns with very high population were denied separate parliamentary representation. Even though the reform act did make slight changes towards democracy with regards to seats, I believe it still remained somewhat undemocratic.
In the 1820’s to the 1850’s, the Antebellum Reform Movement was created. It was an act of improvement, and self-change. “Reform movements in the United States sought to expand democratic ideals.” This quote is true because, democratic ideals are what the people want and a democracy is where people rule the government. Reform movements were created by the Second Great Awakening and it is where people tried to improve their lives. For example, no alcohol, expanding education, separating themselves from utopias, and womens suffrage. All these examples are ways to improve oneself, and spread democratic ideals.
Disraeli believed in an organic society held together by duty and responsibility, and was responsible for the Second Reform Act which gave the working class the vote and also improved housing conditions and hygiene. This is often seen as a form of Tory welfarism. One nationism reached its peak in the 1950s and 1960s when conservative governments in the UK promoted social welfare, in stark contrast to later, New Right conservative governments such as the Thatcher Government (1979-90). In the 50s one-nation conservatism was seen as a ‘middle way’ between ‘laissez-faire’ liberalism and socialist state planning. Therefore, paternalistic conservatism could be seen as the way of moderation.
At the end of World War One in November 1918 the Labour Party emerged as a strong political Party. Prior to this it was the Liberal Party that was expected to be the main opposition to the Conservatives, with Labour as a party who used the popularity of the Liberals to become noticed. However, it soon became apparent that the Liberals were a weak and flagging party who were unable to unite as one to make decisions. It is evident that the First World War may have been an important factor in the growth of Labour and the decline of the Liberals.
The party became so divided that it split into three factions the “Stalwarts”, the “Half Breeds”, and the aforementioned “Mugwumps”. The “Stalwarts” represented the Grant faction of the party who were openly corrupt and supported the spoils system. The “Half Breeds” were not openly corrupt but were still on the payroll of big business. Lastly there were the “Mugwumps” called for the end of the spoils system and big business intervention in politics. After the election of 1876 president Rutherford B. Hayes tried a middle course to try and rebuild the party.
social order. The Progressive movement, 1901 to 1917, was ultimately the triumph of conservatism rather than a