The Extent and Impact of Social and Economic Reforms (1830-1848)

The Extent and Impact of Social and Economic Reforms (1830-1848)

Early Reforms and Important Legislations

  • The 1832 Great Reform Act significantly changed the demands for reform, by extending the franchise and beginning the process of addressing the problem of ‘Rotten Boroughs’.
  • The Abolition of Slavery Act (1833) showcased a profound human rights achievement, boosting Britain’s image of promoting justice and equality amidst calls for further domestic reform.
  • Wakefield’s New Zealand Company (1839) aimed at systematic colonisation by families rather than by transient workers, which reflects on Britain’s expanding global agenda during this period.

Workforce and Industrial Reforms

  • The Factory Act (1833) aimed to improve conditions for children working in factories, with minimum age for child labour and limiting their working hours.
  • The Mines Act (1842) built upon this, prohibiting all women and girls, and boys under ten, from working underground in coal mines.
  • Serious economic difficulties arise in the 1840s due to the collapse of the railway mania and the failure of several banks, leading to the Hungry Forties.

The Poor Law and Public Health

  • The controversial New Poor Law (1834) established workhouses aiming to deter the able-bodied poor, polarising public opinion.
  • The Cholera epidemics of the 1830s and 1840s heightened awareness of public health issues, leading to the formation of the General Board of Health and the Public Health Act (1848) that sought to control and eradicate diseases.

Agricultural Transformation and The Corn Laws

  • The Agricultural Swing Riots (1830) demonstrated rural dissatisfaction with agricultural changes and the displacement of labour due to mechanisation.
  • The highly contentious Corn Laws passed in 1815 were repealed in 1846 after a decade-long campaign by the Anti-Corn Law League, effectively ending mercantilism and embracing free trade.

Political Tensions and the Emergence of Chartism

  • Increased representation for the middle class after the 1832 Act left the working class feeling disenfranchised, leading to the empowering Chartist Movement, with demands outlined in the People’s Charter in 1838.
  • Instrumental Chartist figures, such as Feargus O’Connor, played key roles in petitioning for change, despite initial government hesitancy and public disorder linked with the movement.

Recall these key points and explain how they reflect a period of enormous social and economic change and tension in Britain from 1830-1848. Consider the impact of these reforms and how they shaped societal attitudes towards worker rights, economic policy, poverty and, crucially, the evolving nature of protest and demand for democratic representation.