Developing a paragraph

1. Developing a paragraph

2. How well did Liverpool’s government deal with the problems it faced in the period 1815-1821? 1. Although faced by many problems Liverpool’s administration took firm action to deal with the threats facing it.

3. List important details • ·Game Laws passed in 1815 to reassure the landed gentry • ·Troops used to quell the disturbances following Spa Fields in 1816 • ·Habeas Corpus suspended (1816) • ·Spies and informers used to discover potential trouble makers • ·Local magistrates used yeomanry to disperse meetings • ·Gag Acts

4. Write your paragraph . Although faced by many problems Liverpool’s administration took firm action to deal with the threats facing it. Its main supporters, the landed gentry, were concerned about the increasing amount of poaching so the Game Laws were passed. This introduced the death penalty for stealing rabbits. In the following year, 1816, troops were used to break up the disturbances at Spa Fields. The government then went on to suspend the Habeas Corpus Act, permitting imprisonment without trial. The authorities feared revolution so spies and informers were used to flush out possible troublemakers – this culminated in the episode at Pentrich. At a famous incident in Manchester in 1819, local magistrates ordered the local yeomanry to disperse a large crowd who had gathered to listen to Henry Hunt, the Radical speaker. This was followed up by the passing of the Gag Acts which greatly reduced civil liberties and increased the power of the authorities.

5. Liverpool’s government faced many problems in the period 1815-21 • Traditional methods of dealing with distress (poverty) breaking down • Widespread economic depression – a) changing economic climate b) ending of the war • Radical agitation • Lack of police force to deal with unrest • Fear of revolution