Explain why Lord Liverpool’s government followed reactionary policies in the years 1815-20
Firstly, Lord Liverpool’s government followed reactionary policies between 1815 and 1820 because of a growing fear of revolution. The government feared revolution because they did not want Britain to face revolutions similar to those in France. Many of the events between 1815 and 1820 were seen by the government as the start of a revolution, indeed the Radical threat grew during the Napoleonic Wars and the French Revolution inspired people. The government construed events such as St Peter’s Fields to be the start of national uprisings, this is why the government had to respond harshly and break up the meeting, to stop what they thought to be a revolution from occurring. To us in the present, these policies look as if they were only making matters worse, by responding too harshly, indeed there were riots after Peterloo that confirm this. However, the government of the day and the authorities were paranoid that the working classes were going to try and overthrow them, this is one of the reasons they followed reactionary policies in these years.
Secondly, Lord Liverpool’s government followed reactionary policies because of economic depression caused by the end of the war. There was economic depression because 400,000 soldiers returned home and there was a fall in demand for war goods such as timber and iron. The government was dominated by the land owners and the farmers in 1815 and this is why policies such as the Corn Laws were introduced, to protect the interests of those in government and those who returned MPs to Westminster. This is why there were protests such as Luddism, because the government comprised of the landed gentry and the farmers implemented policies which would ultimately benefit them. The industrial revolution had been going on since around 1750 and was in full swing by the period of 1815-1820. Policies such as the Corn Laws however were also to stop farmers being undercut by their competitors abroad, the policy makers only had British interests in mind and didn’t want their markets to be flooded with cheap goods from abroad.
Finally, the ineffectiveness of law and order at this time was another reason Lord Liverpool’s government followed reactionary policies. Law and order was inefficient because there was no police force and the government had to rely on the yeomanry and the army to enforce law and order. The use of the military seems barbaric and unjustifiable to us in the present but the government had no other choice because this series of events was unprecedented and the government had no experience in dealing with civil unrest and disorder. The government felt that if they came down harshly on those who were threatening them, then the crisis would abate and desist. The government didn’t want events like Luddism, which was threatening an already ailing economy, to spread, and so had to employ harsh punishments and brute force to stop this happening because otherwise the whole country could be affected.
In conclusion, the economic depression caused by the end of the war was the most important reason why Lord Liverpool’s government followed reactionary policies in the years 1815 to 1820.