The Significance of Popular Protest in the Mid Victorian Period (1848-1885)

Role of Popular Protest (1848-1885)

  • During this period, popular protest took on an important role in raising awareness about the necessity for parliamentary reform.
  • This time saw the peak of Chartist movement, which used petitions and mass demonstrations to voice their demands for universal male suffrage and parliamentary reform.
  • The Hyde Park Riots in 1866 marked a significant escalation in the intensity of popular protest.

Chartist Movement

  • Originally formed in 1838, the Chartists were driven by the ‘People’s Charter’, a six-point manifesto demanding reforms to the political system.
  • Despite their early failures, they later won many of their demands, though not in the form they had originally hoped for, such as secret ballots and the removal of the property qualification for MPs.
  • The support of the Chartists among the working classes was instrumental in driving their cause forward.

Hyde Park Riots, 1866

  • A process of political socialisation led to the radicalisation of a part of the working class.
  • The events spurred public discussion about the right to public assembly and freedom of speech.
  • The riots demonstrated the potential power of mass protest and increased pressure for reform.

Efforts at Reform and Resistance

  • Several attempts were made to introduce a Second Reform Act in Parliament. However, these met with staunch Opposition, leading to the fall of Lord Russell’s government in 1866.
  • The pro-reform League played a big role during this period as it mobilised public opinion in favour of the reforms.
  • Further pressure on the government was evident in the form of protests and rallies, such as the 1867 Hyde Park Rally.

Impact of Protest on Reform Acts

  • Mass movements and demonstrations helped to initiate the Third Reform Act in 1884, which extended the suffrage to agricultural workers.
  • The pressure for reform from popular protests cannot be understated—it was a key factor that led authorities to reconsider the current system.
  • By the end of the Victorian period, the importance of the mass platform was firmly established, changing the way that political campaigns would be run in the future.