The Passing of the 1832 Reform Act

The Passing of the 1832 Reform Act

During the early part of the 19th Century reform was placed low on the

political agenda. This was perhaps due to the Napoleonic Wars with

France which showed people the damaging effects war could have on the

country. However, in 1819 the arguments concerning the reformation of

parliament came back into the public's conscious. The growing role of

the media acted as a new method of informing the public of their

rights and the need for action. People were also being made aware

through public meetings held by radical MP's that favoured reform. It

is therefore not hard to see why in 1832 the Great Reform Act was

passed.

'Old Corruption' was the name given to the voting system prior to the

reform because bribery and corruption were the principle means through

which candidates secured votes. The unreformed system was not at all

systematic or fair. There was a lack of uniformity in the organisation

of parliamentary constituencies and elections. In addition, the landed

elite held nearly all political power and influence. The country was

run by the privileged few and not the general public. Frank O'Gorman

estimates that in 1831 400,000 men had the right to vote in a

population of 13.9 million, that results in just 2.9% of the

population as a whole and 12.7% of the male population.

Another fault of the system was its concept of constituencies and

boroughs. From constituencies two MP's could be sent to Parliament.

Here the vote was given to those who owned more than 40 shillings

worth of land but the value of property differed across the country.

Boroughs were towns that had, at some point been granted a...

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...male population of England which meant that there was a 6%

increase. It brought some of the upper middle class into order but

till all interests and classes were not represented in Parliament.

More people had the right to vote but they came from a more limited

sector of society. With so many people till excluded from franchise,

there began a realisation that the points of view of the people were

not being recognised.

So why was such a fuss made about this Act if it didn't change an

awful lot? The Reform Act of 1832 had been the initial break with

tradition. Before this event nobody had realistically contested the

supremacy of the Upper Classes or tried to bridge gaps in the order of

society. From now on it would be difficult to resist the demands for

change and the extension of the vote to a greater number of people.