Changing influences in Parliament; the impact of parliamentary reform
- Created by: tenerife101
- Created on: 02-05-19 21:10
The crown and the aristocracy
- The monarch chose a PM from the wining party in an elections
- George III = power of patronage and offering of peerage and offices un return for political support
- 'pocket boroughs' - constituencies controlled by an aristocratic patron = open voting system; limited franchise and lack of legislation = bribery and power = 1801 - rotton boroughs sold for £90,000 and then £180,000 in 1830
- House of Lords - unelcted yet has a powerful role within legislation - influence to block laws
- Economic reform in the 1780s - the threat of the monarchy (patronage, failure in america, increased costs thus taxes, military corruption - corruption) = WEAKENED PATRONAGE
= A WAY TO SAVE MONEY AND REDUCE POWER OF THE CROWN =
- reduce the number of offices that could be rewarded
= a rise in cabinet governments - William Pitt the Younger PM - coalitions and negotions and alliances
= LESS INFLUENTIAL CROWN AND ARISTOCRACY
The decline in aristocratic influence
- expansion of the franchise
- removing the rotten and pocket boroughs
- 1832 Act decreased power of the monarchy
- 1839 Bedchamber Crisis - parliament had limited pwer over the monarch
- political unions and media pressure
- aristocratic patrons loss of power over the 1872 act
- 1883 act saw a reducuction in monetary influence and gave access to non-aristocratic members
1911 Parliament Act =
- delay bills for only 2 years
- no power over money bills
- maximum of 5 years inbetween elections
- £400 salaries for MPs
- House of Lords remained unelected and hereditary
Changing to political parties between 1780-1928
Before 1832 =
- Tories = supporters of the monarchy VS Whigs = liberal outlook
- considerened loose alliance of politicians not parties
- under 1784 William Pitt the Younger the party lines became more distinct
The impact of the Reform Acts =
- registered voters meant more party organisation was required
- contest within elections made party politics essential
The parties =
1. Conservative - 1834 Robert Peel issued his manifesto (Tamworth Manifesto - reform abuses but protect tradition)
2. Whigs - 1834 LIchfield House Compact (opposition to Peel) - whigs, radicals and irish MPs
3. Liberal Party - 1846 formed of Peelites and in 1859 the Whigs, Peelites and other radicals formed the ant-conservative alliance (the liberal party)
The Role of Parliament Acts on Parties
1867 RPA =
- increased electorate required better party organisation so lead to the formation of the conservative central office - local party organisation which by 1877 it had 791 local associations
- The liberals founded the National Liberal Federation in 1877
- Both parties paid local agents for voter recruitment - accurate lists and records to assure attendance
- larger investment in newspapers - election campaigns
- Women's organisations such as the Primrose League (tories) used to have wives influence husbands
1872 Ballot Act =
- getting out party message took on an increased importance and votes now hidden
The Role of Parliament Acts on Parties continued
1883 Corrupt and Illegal Practices Prevention Act =
- each candidate could only have 1 paid agent and a detailed record of all expenses
- 1910 - average spending was just 18% of 1880 levels
- Party message more important than bribery
- Much greater focus by both parties on volunteer groups for canvassing and public events
1884 RPA =
- the enfranchisement of the working class male voters lead to the emergence of the Labour party by 1906
1918 RPA =
- spurred the growth of the Labour party - vote share rose to 22% in the 1918 General Election
- finalised the lose of the dominance of the Liberal Party - they had been split between Asquith and Lloyd George (reform act only passed within the Tory coalition - 3rd place)
The Growth of the Labour Party
1884 RPA = lead to the emergence of new liberals called labourers - often trade union officials and generally represented industrial, mainly mining, backgrounds
1885 = there were 13 - often regarded as 'Lib-Lab' MPs because they worked with liberals but voted independently on working class and trade union issues
INDEPENDENT LABOUR PARTY (ILP)
- 1892 - Keir Hardie and 2 others were elected as independent Labour MPs
- 1893 - ILP formed to represent working-class interests = formed by many ex-liberals who felt disillusioned by the failure to accept working class men as MPs
- they were seen by many as a socialist, revolutionary movement
- yet the party was more practical thinking than theoretical and so the word 'socialist' was kept from the name for this reason
FORMATION OF THE LABOUR PARTY
- 1900 - ILP was growing in success
The Growth of the Labour Party continued
- 1900 - the creation of the Labour Representation Committee (LRC) which unified over 100 trade unions to connect them to parliamentary reform
- LRC campaigned on behalf of the ILP and trade unions
- 1903 - 'Lib-Lab' pact = to avoid splitting the opposition vote against the conservatives in the next general election (1906) - the liberals agreed not to contest Labour strongpoints in return Labour would support a Liberal government
- 1906 - 29 LRC candidates won seats and renamed themselves the Labour Party
- 1911 - Parliament Act made more working class MPs a reality (introduction of wages)
THE ILP AND THE LABOUR PARTY TOGETHER
- worked closely together - ILP had a strong following but Labour had strong trade union links
- ILP provided many MPs elected for Labour
- 1924 - worked until then when Labour formed a government
- ILP was disappointed by the moderate policies of MacDonald creating divisions
- 1931 - the 2 parties split
The Growth of the Labour Party continued
THE FIRST LABOUR GOVERNMENT - 1924
- 1918- Labour's political strength grew
- Two strength - increased wartime trade union membership (4-6million) and increased working class male vote under the 1918 RPA
- 1924 government = Ramsey MacDonald
- A weak minority government of 191 seats and did not last a year - fake Russian letter and threat of communism
- 2nd 1924 General election = re-election of the conservatives
- Yet, they had eclipsed the Liberals by 1928
- The 2 major parties were primarily the Conservatives and Labour, rather than Liberals
HOW HAD PARTIES CHANGED BY 1928
- organised, structured groups rather than loose alliances of the 18th century
- RPAs - unified party messages, winning votes with ideas, not bribery or patronage
- The 1900s - 3 main parties were strong political institutions in a modern sense of a political party
Extent of change in the social makeup in Commons
SOCIAL MAKE-UP 1780
- Wealthy men
- largely from aristocratic families
- about 20% were the sons of peers and many had peers as relatives
- many were titled as 'baronet' which entitled them to be a 'sir' without losing commoner status
- Private income was essential (wealthy backgrounds) as there was no salary
- Property qualifications: 600 per year for county MPs and 300 for Borough MPs (30,000-15,000 modern day)
- 1830 - 1 MP paid 30,000 (1.5 million) in bribes and campaigning costs
- Sir James Lowther, MP for Whitehaven, was estimated to have land worth 2 million
HOW DID REFORMS IMPACT THE SOCIAL COMPOSITION OF THE HOFC
- 1832 and 67 RPA - by 1865 the number of baronets and sons of peers had dropped to 180 from 217 - in 1845, 41% were from aristocratic families
- 1858 Repeal of the Property Qualification Act - MP roles more accessible to the middle class - only a small increase in MPs from less wealthy backgrounds
Extent of change in the social makeup in Commons
- 1884 Redistribution of People Act and 1885 Redistribution of Seats Act - the number of urban constituencies increased; MPs of industrial background outnumbered landed MPs; working-class MPs represented trade unions; Liberals elected became the Labour Party; however it was still only a few due to lack of salaries
- 1911 Parliament Act - 400 salaries per year for MPs, meaning more working class and middle-class professional candidates could run
- 1918 RPA - Labour won 57 seats and then 151 by 1924; women's enfranchisement lead to female MPs (small as only 12 had been elected by 1928)
HOW FAR HAD THE MAKE-UP CHANGED?
- The majority of MPs were still male and from wealthy backgrounds
- Yet many were of urban or commercial not landowners
- Represented a more even distribution in a geographical and demographic sense
- There were MPs with working-class backgrounds
- Of the 12 females: 1 gave up her seat in protest towards Ireland; the majority were wealthy; only 2 held ministerial office; the first 3 stood where their husbands had previously been MP
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