Britain before the Reform Act Politics and Society 1815-1832

by Evans, Eric; Evans, Eric J.

• ISBN13: 9780582299085
• ISBN10: 058229908X
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-07-09
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

The Reform Act of 1832 is unarguably a watershed in British history but Professor Evans argues that it should be seen as part of those broader changes which can only be understood in the context of the years which are given detailed treatment in this book. First published in 1989 this popular Seminar Study has now been fully updated for its second edition, in the light of recent research and literature. Covers one of the most important periods of political reform in modern British history, when the transition was made to a modernised, urban society. Written in accessible style, with a rich collection of documents, chronology, glossary, a guide to further reading,and a ‘Who's Who' which summarises the careers and contributions of the main figures, this new edition is essential for all those interested in understanding Britain at this most crucial turning point in its history.

Author Biography

Eric J. Evans is Emeritus Professor of History at Lancaster University. He is the author of numerous titles of political and social history

Table of Contents

Preface	p. x
Acknowledgements	p. xii
Chronology	p. xiii
Who's Who	p. xxii
Glossary	p. xxxiv
Analysis	p. 1
Introduction	p. 3
1815 and All That	p. 3
The Political Landscape	p. 4
British Society in 1815	p. 5
Britain in Crisis? 1815-20	p. 10
Lord Liverpool, his Ministry and its Parliamentary Opponents	p. 10
The Revival of Radical Politics, 1815-17	p. 15
Peterloo and the Cato Street Conspiracy	p. 22
The Curious Affair of Queen Caroline	p. 29
The Achievement of Stability? 1821-7	p. 34
The Return of Prosperity	p. 34
'Liberal Toryism?' The Achievement of Lord Liverpool	p. 38
Trade, Taxation and Finance	p. 44
Law Reform	p. 50
The Metropolitan Police	p. 53
Trade Unions	p. 55
Britain's Influence Abroad	p. 57
Foreign Policy under Viscount Castlereagh	p. 57
Foreign Policy under Canning	p. 63
Stability Shattered 1827-32	p. 69
The Break-up of the Tory Party, 1827-30	p. 69
Religious Reforms, 1828-9	p. 76
Economic Distress and Political Organization, 1829-30	p. 81
The Return of the Whigs and the Reform Crisis, 1830-2	p. 87
Conclusion	p. 98
Putting Parliamentary Reform in Context	p. 98
Assessing the Whig interpretation of 'Britain 1815-32'	p. 99
Transition to a New Order?	p. 100
Documents	p. 105
Lord Liverpool Defends the Corn Law, 1815	p. 106
A Petition against the Income Tax, 1816	p. 106
George IV Considers Dismissing Lord Liverpool, 1820	p. 107
Sir John Sinclair Defends the Agricultural Interest, 1822	p. 107
A Statement from Buckinghamshire on the Agricultural Depression, 1822	p. 108
The Earl of Thanet's Unsympathetic View of the Agricultural Depression, 1822	p. 108
The Annual Register Celebrates Britain's Commercial Advance, 1824	p. 109
William Huskisson Explains the Value of Tariff Reductions	p. 109
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine Attacks Free Trade Ideas, 1830	p. 110
George Canning Expresses his Reservations about the Congress System, 1818	p. 111
The Castlereagh State Paper of May 1820	p. 111
The Annual Register Identifies the Benefits of Close Relations with South America, 1825	p. 112
Canning Briefs the Consul-General of Buenos Aires, 1823	p. 112
Canning's Reasons for Intervention in Portugal, 1826	p. 113
Tory Uncertainties After the Departure of Lord Liverpool, 1827	p. 113
Samuel Bamford on the Influence of William Cobbett in 1816	p. 114
Cobbett's Address to the Journeymen and Labourers, 1816	p. 115
An Attack on Cobbett, 1817	p. 116
Advertising the Spa Fields Meeting of December 1816	p. 117
A Call to Arms in 1816	p. 118
The Report of the Committee of Secrecy, February 1817	p. 118
A Radical Attack on Levels of Taxation, 1819	p. 119
Radical Freethought in the 1820s	p. 119
The Repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts Attacked, 1828	p. 120
Sir Robert Peel Concedes Roman Catholic Emancipation, 1829	p. 120
Perspectives on the Fight for Norwich during the 1830 General Election	p. 121
Wellington Misjudges the Public Mood, 1830	p. 123
A Hostile View of Political Unions, 1831	p. 124
Earl Grey Uses the Middle Classes to Press his Case for Parliamentary Reform, 1831	p. 125
Sir Robert Inglis and T.B. Macaulay Debate the Reform Question, 1831	p. 125
An Immediate Response to the Presentation of the Government's Reform Bill, 1831	p. 126
An Appraisal of Macaulay's Debating Style, 1831	p. 127
The Political Influence of the Established Church, 1831	p. 128
An Attack on Established Authority without Contemporary Understanding, 1832	p. 128
The Days of May and the Likely Return of Wellington as Prime Minister, 1832	p. 129
John Wilson Croker Encounters Manchester Working Men, 1832	p. 129
The Duke of Wellington Considers the Likely Consequences of Reform, 1832	p. 130
Further Reading	p. 132
References	p. 143
Index	p. 149
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