There was also a need to please the middle classes who were becoming millionaires and yet, still not allowed to become MPs. A growing fear was that the working and middle classes would form an alliance, so cautious reformers like Grey, aimed to try to split this alliance and convince the middle class that their future was assured by support for moderate reform. Furthermore, there was a fear of the radicals causing chaos due to the French Revolution in 1830; Charles X of France had issued the Ordinances of St Cloud and this sparked a revolution in the French capital in July 1930. Critics of the system in Britain argued that if the French monarchy had fallen due to a failure to recognise genuine popular electoral grievances, then surely the potential existed in Britain for the same to happen; these were all significant factors.
At the time, the elections were generally seen to be unfair. Today, we vote in secret, according to our conscience. However, until 1872, voting was an ‘open’ affair. Everyone knew who was going to vote for who, which could lead to intimidation, bribe and black mail, leading the voter to change his mind at the last moment. A key example would be a tenant, who could never vote who he personally wanted to because the landlord could evict him on grounds of failing to follow the landlord’s lead. The candidates standing in an election themselves knew that they would have to persuade undecided voters to their side. Bribery was common; cash gifts, free beer and, in some cases, a promise of employment was not unusual. To enforce some of that needed democracy, the corruption of elections were contributory in forming the need to put an end to the bribery.
Catholic Emancipation also needed to be reviewed; there were bitter internal divisions exposed within the Tory Party over the issue. These produced a climate where the Tory Ultras were even willing to support reform in order to annoy Wellington and Peel and ensure that a wider franchise would reject issues such as emancipation! This led to the collapse of the Tories because they split over the religious issue. Had this collapse not occurred, the prospect of introducing reform under a Whig government might not have existed, and therefore this event was essential for the passing of the Bill.
The Swing riots taking place at the time were also contributory; they meant that people were destroying and setting fire to new machinery. The new introduction of machinery had caused unemployment as skilled workers were no longer required. The unhappiness of the working class was evident and needed to be acted upon.
Furthermore, the death of King George IV raised reform expectations even higher. George IV had not only been, arguably, the country’s most unpopular monarch, but was also a staunch opponent of Roman Catholic emancipation and electoral reform. Under the Tories, he had never had to face the prospect of agreeing to the issue of reform, but was forced to agree to demands for emancipation just before his death. The new king, his brother William IV, although not a reforming enthusiast, was sufficiently realistic to appreciate the need to remedy some of the worst excesses of the existing system. Fortunately for the Whigs, the tide of popular opinion was definitely in their favour and the accession of a new monarch required a new election. Pro-reform candidates did well. The existing Tory Prime Minister was forced out of office and a new Whig ministry, under Early Grey, was created in November 1830. The death of George IV was essential in that it provided Britain with William IV, who realistically viewed the corrupted electoral situation, despite his personal beliefs; he, therefore, took a pragmatic approach to the situation.
The perseverance of the Whigs during 1831-32 rejections was also a key factor in the passing of the Great Reform Act. The first Bill managed to pass its second reading in the Commons by one vote, but was defeated in the committee stage. Grey took the initiative and called a general election in April 1931, which became a national referendum on the issue of reform. The result was a triumph for Grey. Although the Tories held on to some of the rotten boroughs, the Whigs increased their support in the counties and were returned with a majority of 130. Grey took this as a signal to proceed with his reform plans and a Second Bill was duly drawn up; the Second Bill, a slightly amended Bill, was introduced in the summer of 1831 and by September it had passed through the Commons and committee stages relatively unscathed, before being rejected by the House of Lords. The Lords was dominated, at the time, by the dominating Tories who opposed the idea of electoral reform. Grey realised that if any Bill was to become law, it had to pass successfully through the Lords. In October, the Bill was duly defeated by 41 votes. The third measure was presented to Parliament in December 1931. By this time, the Whigs’ Commons majority had risen to 162, but more importantly, the anti-reformers in the Lords now had only a majority of nine. This could only realistically be overcome if William IV were willing to agree to the creation of Whig peers in the upper house to neutralise the Tory influence. It looked as if the Bill would pass relatively easily through the Commons, but it was surprisingly defeated in the committee stage by a Tory amendment in March 1831. This had the possibility of weakening the Bill, but Grey was aware that creation of new peers was unavoidable. The King refused to accept Grey’s demands because of the many constitutional implications. Almost immediately, in May 1832, Grey resigned; this resignation was vital in the eventual pragmatist approach to the Bill, since the country was left in need of drastic action if a revolution was to be avoided.
The May Days crisis of 1831 was a result of Grey’s resigning. The country was in catastrophe and the King had to approach the Duke of Wellington to try to form a Tory ministry. Wellington’s opinions on reform were well known and if any reform was passed the public knew it would be severely diluted. Potential of a revolution rose again. In the event, Wellington’s attempts to form a government proved useless. William IV now agreed to the creation of the new peers to solve a major constitutional crisis. Accordingly, the King asked Grey to form a ministry four days later. Under sever public pressure, the anti-reform stance collapsed completely and the threat of the creation of the new peers was enough to convince the Lords that they had to give way. Most Tory peers abstained and the Bill on its third reading, by 106 and 22. On 7th June 1832, the Bill received Royal approval.
Overall, the initial fear of revolution remained throughout the battle of introducing the Great Reform Act. However, despite anti-reformists opinions, Britain found itself in absolute catastrophe and action was needed to be taken. This then resulted in the growing extent of pragmatism being a major factor over the passing of the Bill, for fear of revolution.
