Explain why the Corn Laws were repealed in 1846
The repealing of the Corn Laws occurred for a number of reasons. One major reason as to why the Corn Laws were eventually repealed were due to the strategic retreats implemented by Peel beforehand. Peel appealed to the Conservative party in that if they continued to be stubborn with regards to the Corn Laws, it could alienate potential voters – as well as this, Peel believed there could be a major crisis caused by conflicts of opinion between those who supported abolishment of the laws and those who did not – this worried the conservative government greatly and was significant in reducing their stubbornness. Peel also saw no good economic reason as to why the Corn Laws should not be repealed and it was this strategic thinking that got many on-side and enabled the repealing of the Corn Laws.