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Was the 1932 Reform Act a Conservative Measure with Limited Effect?

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Submitted By SebastianPasha
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Sebastian A. P. Pasha 2nd February 2015

Do you agree the 1932 Reform Act was a conservative measure with limited effect? The statement that the 1932 Reform Act was a conservative measure with limited effect is correct only to a certain extent. Although it did remove the electoral rights from most of the oddities that were rotten boroughs, and give representation to growing cities such as Leeds and Manchester; it resulted in little improvement on the lives of the working class and merely benefitted the middle class.

The Great Reform Act of 1832 was passed under a Whig government. They benefitted enormously from the old system of politics, and therefore did not want large amounts of change, simply enough to quell the country’s thirst for revolution. They also needed to get the wealthy middle class on their side, thereby not simply reflecting the wishes of the aristocracy. This is highlighted in Source 1 is before the Great Reform Act is established, and it outlines Prime Minister Grey’s intentions. He simply states that ‘if any persons suppose that this reform will lead to ulterior measures, they are mistaken’. He reassures his peers that the bill would not bring about any dramatic changes, as the current system benefitted them (and him) the most, bringing them significant wealth and influence. The bill was simply a way to satisfy the masses without giving too much ground, and to ‘put an end to such hopes and projects’. Therefore it was a conservative measure designed to have limited effects and bring about minimal change while keeping the public (and perhaps a revolution) at bay. This is a point where both Source 1 and 3 coincide; they both believe the measure allowed ‘Britain alone of the advanced nations of Western Europe to avoid political revolution in the 1830s and 1840s’. On the other hand, it may be seen that he is simply reassuring his peers, so that the bill may be passed, and lead to greater reforms in the future.

In addition, it was meant to reform the government in such a way that it truly represented the majority of the population. However, it did not. The majority at the time was working class, and the Act did little to appease them. Voters were required to possess property worth £10, a substantial sum at the time, and significantly more than a common worker would own. This split the alliance between the middle class and the working class, weakening the source of determination behind the bills, as the middle class had now gained the vote. The split was seen as critical in keeping the Act as a conservative measure, as seen in ‘forge the most durable of political alliances’, as seen in Source 3. It also reinforces ‘the rights of property had been given a new lease of life’, which may be seen as a further from of repressing them and continuing to make universal suffrage an increasingly distant prospect. This is reflected in ‘a mighty and ancient system of corruption and abuse will receive its death blow’. There was a surge of people eligible to vote, and most of these lay in the middle class. Before the 1832 Reform Act, 400,000 English subjects were entitled to vote, and that after passage, the number rose to 650,000, an increase of more than 60%.

Furthermore, it increased the amount of bribery and corruption in the system as the positions now possessed more influence and there was a clear line between the political parties for the first time. This perhaps meant that the previous controllers of rotten boroughs that still existed could exert their wishes on the House of Commons, and they were mostly Tories. Since the Tories were a rather conservative party, and supported the Church, the Monarchy and the old ways, it may be argued that it reinforced the fact that the Reform Act of 1832 had limited measures.

On the other hand, it gave significantly fairer representation. First of all, the industrial revolution gave way to the birth and growth of cities. These had no previous significance or importance and had therefore no representation even though they had a great population. The great reform lead to the enfranchisement of 22 large towns, and they were given two MPs. Another 21 towns (of which two were in Wales) were given one MP. In addition, it did disenfranchise most rotten boroughs, and abolished 143 borough seats in England. There was the common conception that it would lead to further reform in the future. This is reflected in the quotation, ‘The sovereignty of the people' had been established in fact, if not in law’.

In summation, there were significant advances, mainly the middle class gaining representation and the redistribution of representation in the House of Commons. However, it was mostly a conservative measure. There were still a few rotten boroughs, such as Midhurst in Sussex. The working class were still not represented, although they spurred economic growth for the country and made up the largest percentage of the population, giving way to the Chartist Movement later on. When the dust had settled, the political landscape looked much as it had done before.

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