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Britain 1815-1851 - The 1832 Reform Act And The Issue Of Poverty
Earl Grey was the PM of the UK from 1830-1834, and a type of tea is named after him.

Britain 1815-1851 - The 1832 Reform Act And The Issue Of Poverty

As part of GCSE History students will look at the period from 1815-1850. One aspect that they will study is the Great Reform Act of 1832 and the issue of poverty at the time.

The Great Reform Act of 1832 amended suffrage to some extent, and provided for some re-organisation of parliamentary seats. However it disappointed radicals, and turned out to be only the first of a whole series of further such acts. Poverty was another issue of the time and in 1834 the Poor Law Amendment Act came in. This led to the foundation of workhouses for those in financial need.

Play this quiz and see how much you know about the Great Reform Act and the issue of poverty in the early 19th Century.

1 .
What kind of body was set up to look into the workings of the Poor Law in 1832?
A parliamentary committee
A judicial commission
A royal commission
A committee of privy councillors
The government appointed an independent body to look at the problem, and to provide recommendations for reform
2 .
Which Tory leader was forced to resign as prime minister in 1830, paving the way for the election of a Whig government in 1831, thus leading to the passing of the Reform Bill the following year?
Pitt the Younger
Peel
Lord Derby
The Duke of Wellington
Changes of government were quite frequent during the crisis over reform. A large number of members of Parliament were only loosely attached to either the Whigs or the Tories
3 .
Which monarch signed the royal assent to the Reform Bill, thus completing its passage into law?
Queen Victoria
George IV
William IV
George III
No bill could become an act until the monarch of the day had signed it
4 .
Some seats had tiny electorates. Old Sarum had just 13 voters! Some of these seats were abolished in 1832, but a good many remained until further electoral reform took place. What name was given to such seats?
Rotten boroughs
Corrupt boroughs
Minority boroughs
Depleted boroughs
A small electorate made it easier for another aspect of Old Corruption to occur, namely "treating", whereby powerful locals were bought drinks by the candidate or candidates in order to influence their votes
5 .
Which French term was applied to the ideology that poverty (and other matters) was not the government's responsibility, and should be left alone?
Savoir faire
Laissez faire
Laissez aller
Noblesse oblige
This was the view held by many classical liberals: that the role of government was restricted to the defence of the realm, law and order within the state and a few other topics
6 .
When the Second Reform Bill was rejected there were outbursts of serious disorder in several places. In one city there were three days of riots, during which the bishop's palace and the Lord Mayor's mansion were destroyed. Which city was this?
Nottingham
London
Bristol
Coventry
Fear of popular violence partly explains Parliament's decision to pass the Bill. There were indeed serious incidents of violence across the country
7 .
Which of the following was a leading member of the 1832 body set up to investigate the poor law?
Lord John Russell
Edwin Chadwick
John Bright
Spencer Perceval
The investigatory body was bound to attract social reformers who felt that they could make a difference
8 .
Which government decided in 1832 to investigate the working of the poor law?
The Whig government of Earl Grey
Lord Liverpool's Tory government
Lord Melbourne's Whig government
Lord Aberdeen's coalition government
By 1832 the issue of poverty had returned to the agenda, as current arrangements did not seem to be working
9 .
One aspect of "Old Corruption" curbed (to an extent) by the Act was the existence of parliamentary seats controlled by a local magnate, often a member of the House of Lords. What name was given to such constituencies?
Reserved boroughs
Pocket boroughs
Privileged seats
Landlord's Prerogative
Gladstone's first parliamentary seat after he came down from Oxford was Newark, which was controlled by a nearby magnate, the Duke of Newcastle. Such notables effectively controlled who became the M.P. and they could manipulate him in their interest after the election
10 .
In 1834 a new poor law was proposed, whereby 600 locally elected officials would administer the provisions of the new poor law legislation - including the administration of the new "Workhouses". What title was given to these officials?
Boards of Guardians
Local Commissioners
Poverty Officials
Poor Law Commissioners
One job for the new office-holders was to ensure that workhouses should impose a harsh, even cruel, regime in order to discourage people from using them - except as a last resort
You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Pressure for democratic reform up to 1884

Author:  Edward Towne

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