Britain after the Napoleonic Wars

The time after the Napoleonic Wars was marked by a severe economic crisis in Britain. Industry had to change from a war time to a peace time basis. European countries did not need as many British goods as before, because the domestic industries of different nations revived. All this increased mass unemployment which coupled with unusually bad harvest of 1816 and the general growth of the population. Workers in many towns showed general discontent in the Luddite movement and marches calling for "bread or blood".

Neither the Crown nor the Tories could prevent severe economic crisis coupled with the movement of radicalism in England. Radical clubs were appearing everywhere. Radicals called for political action, parliamentary reform and extension of the franchise.

The whole regime was becoming more and more unpopular. King George III was insane for 10 years, so he died in 1820 detested and despised by his people. George IV was crowned the same year. He was extravagant, selfish and completely unfit to reign. Very soon he appeared in a weak position in relations to his Cabinet of ministers.

The most important event of his reign was the Irish struggle for independence — the Catholics in Ireland insisted on emancipation. In 1823, Catholic association of Ireland headed for struggle, civil war seemed inevitable. The situation was decided only in 1829, when George IV was forced by his ministers, much against his will, to agree to Catholic Emancipation, Catholics were given election right. This reduced religious discrimination and enabled the monarchy to play a more national role.

In 1825—1827, the crisis affected all branches of economy, especially the textile industry. Thousands of workers in the towns and peasants in the country became unemployed.

By 1830, the economic crisis reached its height — the level of unemployment increased — the wages of workers went down. The wave of strikes in towns and riots in the countryside flowed over Britain. The country was as close to revolution as it had never been before.

The same year George IV died and William IV was crowned as King. This situation was used by the supporters of the Parliamentary reform — they provided the Reform Bill, which became law in 1832. This document was one of the most important events in British history — it gave the right to vote for much bigger number of people (only in Scotland the number of voters increased from 5,000 to 65,000). Forty-one English towns were represented in Parliament for the very first time.

This Reform Bill saved the country from the revolution — now the order was not imposed on people by the Crown or nobility, but created by the middle class.

In the reformed Parliament, the Whigs, who formed the government, allied with newly elected Commons to turn into a democratic Liberal party in 1833. A series of revolutionary measures was passed — the age of employment was limited to 9, the children working hours diminished and inspectors were to be appointed to see that the provisions were enforced.

Fighting for Workers' Rights. Chartism

Beginning from the 1820s English workers joined together in unions to struggle for their rights and better wages, The first workers' unions appeared. The cheap postage system, when a letter could be sent for one penny to any part of Britain, helped much to organise workers' unions all over the country. In 1834, the Grand National Consolidated Trades Union was formed to unite different trade unions in the country. It organised petitions and mass demonstrations of workers. So, step by step English workers were learning how to defend their economic and social rights.

In 1838, the workers' unions worked out a document called a People's Charter. It was produced to formulate the rights that are now accepted by everyone: the vote for adults, the right for a man without property to become an MP, secret voting, payment for MPs, general parliamentary election every year and equal electoral districts.

Chartism as a movement was not unanimous — there were revolutionists who called for physical violence, other people were for agrarian reform or the control of industry. Chartism spread like fire, bringing strikers and riots in Lancashire, Yorkshire and the Midlands. Many trade unions, joined the national Chartist Association, there were more than 50,000 people in it. The movement became more and more radical.

By the middle of the century Chartism was defeated. It failed because of the weakness of its leadership and immaturity of the working class.

The failure of Chartism is associated with Robert Peel, the Prime Minister of the time. In 1846, he abolished the unpopular Corn Laws of 1815 which had kept the price of corn higher than necessary. These laws were based on the Protection system when the goods from other countries were heavily taxed. The repeal of Corn Laws marked the conversion of England to Free Trade.

When Peel put an end to the common evil of English politics — Protection — thus he split his own party. The Tories divided into two sections — the Protectionists and the so-called Peelites. It was the beginning of the change by which the Tories became Conservatives; very soon two parties were called Conservatives and Liberals.