How successful was Peel's government of 1841 to 1846?

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How successful was Peel’s government of 1841 to 1846?

        Peel entered government for the second time in his career in August 1841 with a strong Tory majority in Parliament gained in part by Peel’s skill as leader of the Opposition and by the failings of Lord Melbourne’s former Whig government. He would lead his new “Conservative” party through many difficulties and end his career with the repeal of the notorious Corn Laws in June 1846. His party was split between the loyal Peelite Conservatives and the older, more reactionary Tories, who still for the most part believed in agricultural protectionism once ensured by the scrapped Corn Laws. But, as in accordance with Peel’s ideology, failure in the party was not necessarily a failure for the nation.

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        Peel entered government on the back of traditional Tory votes. These came from the agricultural sectors of southern England, especially the landed gentry, tenant farmers and the aristocracy. Any considerable amounts of votes had not, as Peel had hoped for, come from the middle classes and industrialists based in the large northern working towns who Peel had so sought to win over with his Tamworth Manifesto. This put Peel in a compromising situation over his allegiance. The majority of his more practical policies followed the line of stimulating trade to create prosperity across Britain’s social spectrum. This meant reducing or ...

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