Department of Distance Education Punjabi University, Patiala (All Copyrights are Reserved) UNIT NO :- 2 M.A. (HISTORY) PART-I (SEMESTER-II) LESSON NO. : Note Note : 2.10 2.9 2.8 2.7 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.3 2.2 2.1 : department's website www.dccpbi.com Students can download the syllabus from the : : : : : : : : : England Act of 1832 Growth of Parliamentary System in Eastern Question (1832-1870) Eastern Question (1800-1832) The Unification of Germany, 1848-1871 The Unification of Germany, 1789-1848 The Unification of Italy, 1848-1870 The Unification of Italy, 1789-1848 Labour Movements in Europe Europe Rise and EnglandGrowth Act of 1867 ofGrowth Socialismof Parliamentaryin System in SECTION : B HISTORY HISTORY OF THE WORLD (1815-1870) PAPER-II M.A. (HISTORY) PART-I PAPER-II HISTORY OF THE WORLD (1815-1870) LESSON NO. 2.1 AUTHOR : DR. S.K. BAJAJ GROWTH OF PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM IN ENGLAND- ACT OF 1832 Background The English Parliament is one of the unique representative institutions that appeared in Europe during the later Middle Ages. Its humble beginning can be traced to the Magna Carta of 1215, but it was in the reign of Edward I (1272-1307) that the expedient calling elected representatives of the countries and towns or brought to the King's Council or Parliament, was adopted The purpose of calling such representatives was to obtain their assent to the levying of taxes to meet the expenses of wars. In due course of time these representatives began to sit separately from the Peers ; this assembly thus, came to be known as the 'House of Commons'. But the close of the sixteenth century, the role of the Parliament in the making of statute law had become fully established, and the gentry had grown ambitious and sought election to Parliament. The Tudors and Stuarts created many new Parliamentary bouroughsnot on the basis of wealth of population but simply as convenient means of strengthening the parliamentary support of the Crown. Over two hundred such seats were created by them, while the Act of Union with Scotland added 45% more and Irish Union another hundred, bringing the total to 658. Despite the grave crisis during the Stuart period, the attempts to reform anomalies and make the Parliament more representative could not succeed. The revolution of 1688, however, was a momentous landmark in the history of the British Parliament and prestige of the Parliament. But the settlement that followed froze the pattren of parliamentary representation. With the exception of the Septennial Act of 1716, which fixed the tenure of Parliament as seven years, there was no material change in the framework of Parliament (except the addition of Scottish members after the Act of Union, with Scotland, 1707) and of the Irish members, under the Act of Union with Ireland of 1800 until the passing Reform Bill of 1832. This long period of quiescence represented not only a reaction to the traumatic experience of the seventeenth century revolution, but also marked the triumphant ascendancy of the landed classes who found the un-reformed Parliament an ideal means of prepetuating their role. Causes Impact of Agrarian and Industrial Revolution : Agrarian and Industrial 1 M.A. (History) Part-I 2 Paper-II revolution brought about profound social and economic changes. Mass of rural population converted into a landless proletariat owing to enclosure system migrated to new industrial towns, where urban population rose enormously ; for example, the population of Liverpool rose from 82,000 to nearly 400,000 and of Briston from 61,000 to 137,000. North gained most by displacements of population, linked together by improved means of communication, railways macadamised roads and steam ships. These changes helped England to grow into the workshop of the world. The aforesaid social and economic changes and political effects of great importance. The predominant influence in the affairs of the nation began to be slowly placed from landed to industrial and financial class Their rivalry had grown quite sharp during the second half of the nineteenth century, although landed interest remained predominant throughout this period. "Since Parliament was the essential instrument of political power, control of which was necessary to any interest desirous of serving its own purposes, the early nineteenth century witnesses a violent conflict between the landed class which wishes to attain its monopoly and its industrial rivals who intended to capture that instrument for their end", remarks David Lindsay Keir (p. 168). Their conflict brought to the fore necessity of parliamentary reform. An important effect of industrial revolution was the change in the economic institution. Decline of mercantile system and emergence of the laissezfaire principle was one of the significant feature of the age. Again, change in the herited organisation of industry also led to subjecting to political institutions as parliament, the administrative system and law and justice to test and re-examination. It was keenly felt by the social philosophers of the age that representation to Parliament should be modified in such a way that it should reflect interests Preponderant in the nation. Atmosphere of Reform : The Change in the temper of the nation posed a challenge for the Tory Party. Representing landed interest during the reign of George III and George IV, it was opposed to remodelling of the Parliamentary system. Yet this period embraced long 'sequence of reforms - financial, administrative and judicial. Most radical among them were Test and Corporation Acts and Act for Roman Catholoic emancipation. The Whigs, supported by the radical group professing the doctrines of Benthan, i.e., Utilitarians, who believed that maintenance of existing institutions, depended primarily on their success in serving "the greatest good of the greater number." The pursuit of individual interest led not to harmony but to anarchy. The problems of poverty, disease, ignorance and insanitary conditions awoke the government to new social realities and persuaded them to impose external regulation and restrain the individual. Under such circumstances, reform in the Parliament became imperative. Although personal authority of the Crown was declining after the collapse of M.A. (History) Part-I 3 Paper-II American Colonies the King supported by the Lords kept firm on his prerogative. Decline of the royal control had taken place primarily for two reasons - incapability and insanity of George III and the development of cabinet system. For half a century before 1832 the administration was ceasing to be the personal concern of the sovereign. Cabinet began to free itself from the sovereign's control. The functions of the government were increasing rapidly. Monopoly enjoyed by the Anglican got undermined with the entry and local governments of England of control. These profound changes touching every branch of administration were bound to affect the chief institution of the country, the Parliament. Extension of representation and remarking of constituencies were measures consistent with democratic principles which were expected to end the ascendancy of the landed class and introduce that of industrial capitalist. Growing Demand for Parliamentary Reform : The reform of 1782 concentrated on removing the abuse of influence and refrained from remodelling the electoral franchise or distribution of seats. The main defect of the electoral system was considered to be the immense preponderance in the Commons of members representing rotton borough. In the old structure it was never conceived that the purpose of the electoral system was to elicit the views of a numerical majority of the nation. It was intended to voice the opinions of those 'interests' which dominated the country. Such as landed interest, "So long, in fact, as England continued to be as it has been, a stable and mainly agricultural society, its unreformed House of Commons was no adequate embodiment of its principles, interests and prejudices", remarks Keir. The first attempt was made in 1762 to check bribery at elections by imposing a fine on offenders. In 1770, under the Grenvile Act committees were appointed to investigate into the abuses. The inquiries showed how deep-rooted were the evils and how difficult it was to eradicate them by penal statutes. The remedy must be radical. The first amongst people to rise cry for reform were from (Middle sex) and Yorkshire. A comprehensive parliamentary motion for extension of franchise, redistribution of seats, the first of its kind, was made in 1776 by a Radical member from (Middle sex) John Wilkes, whose proposal envisaged giving additional members to London and to more populous countries, disfranchsing rotton boroughs and providing for separate representation of such large towns as Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Birmingham. The cause was taken up no less a person than the Pitt the Younger, two introduced motions when out of office in 1782 and 1783 and again while Prime Minister in 1785, but with no success. His programme of electoral reforms was quite radical as it envisaged to extinguish by purchase the right of fifty boroughs to return members, to redistribute the hundred seats thus made available, and to enlarge the electorate by admitting copyholder to the franchise. He did not succeed in getting his measures passed as the King was hostile to the bill, the cabinet divided M.A. (History) Part-I 4 Paper-II and the Commons unfriendly. The French Revolution initially gave a stimulus to the forces of reform, but a reaction quickly set in as the terror spread in France. Nevertheless, the Whig Party under Charles James Fox's leadership continued to play lip service to the cause of Parliamentary reform. After the Peace Settlement of 1815, a small Radical group nicknamed 'Mountain' moved a serious reforms proposals, but they could not secure support of their own party as some of the old aristocracy treated these motions without much regard.