Reforms and Revolutions

Reforms and Revolutions By: TJ Hartnett, Kathleen Falcon, JP Seebode

National Liberation in Greece National, liberal revolution succeeded first in Greece. The Greeks revolted against the Islamic Turks in 1821. They were led by Alexander Ypsilanti, a Greek patriot and a general in the Russian army. In 1827, Great Britain, France, and Russia tried to force Turkey to accept an armistice with the Greeks. Turkish refusal led to armed conflict, the navies of the three armies trapped the Turkish fleet and destroyed it the declaration of Greece’s independence by the Great Powers in 1830. A German prince was installed as the new king

Liberal Reform in Great Britain 18th century British society was dominated by the landowning aristocracy Parliament was manipulated by the king and was thoroughly undemocratic Only 8% of population could vote for representatives 1780 – Growing interest in political reform French Revolution threw British aristocracy into a panic for a generation Tory party, controlled by aristocracy, was fearful of radical movements

Liberal Reform in Great Britain 1817 - The Tory government responded to protests by temporarily suspending the traditional rights of peaceable assembly and habeas corpus 1819 – Parliament passed infamous Six Acts which placed controls on heavily taxed press and eliminated all mass meetings The resulting protests were named the Battle of Peterloo in reference to the British victory at Waterloo, which was the incident demonstrated by the government’s determination to repress and stand fast

Liberal Reform in Great Britain 1815 – aristocracy defended its ruling position by repressing all popular protests First step was the revision of Corn Laws in 1815 Corn Laws regulated foreign grain trade Revision of the Corn Laws protected English landowners by prohibiting the importation of foreign grain unless the price at home rose to improbable levels The change in the Corn Laws led to protests by urban laborers, supported by radical intellectuals

Liberal Reform Reform of town government Organization of a new police force More rights for Catholics & dissenters Reform of Poor Laws Tory government moved towards a better urban administration, greater economic liberalism, and civil unity for Catholics Went for a reform of Parliament Last reform of the Corn Laws

Whig Party and Reform Bill Led an act to amend the representation of the people of England and Wales Reform Bill was rejected by the House of Lords 1832 – Whigs got king to enact new laws Reform Bill of 1832 Profound significance New industrial areas of the country gained representation in the Commons Rotten boroughs were eliminated Number of voters increased 50% 12% more of British and Irish men allowed to vote More radical reform without a war Legislation was proven to show it can solve problems and social conditions

Liberal Reform in Great Britain The Chartists pushed for universal male suffrage, but not female Parliament rejected all three petitions for universal suffrage Many working class people joined the Anti-Corn Law League which made possible a popular crusade which argued that lower food prices and more jobs depended on the repeal of the Corn Laws. Tories competed for working-class support with Whigs by passing factory reform bills. These included The Ten Hours Act of 1847.

Prelude to The Revolution of 1830 in France Constitutional Charter of 1814 Liberal constitution, but it was not democratic Intellectual and artistic freedom was protected Upper and Lower houses of the Parliament created Economic and social gains were made by the middle class 100,000 people out of a 30 million population were allowed to vote under the law People they voted for created the laws of the nation

Charles X – The Revolution - Charles was a true reactionary Wished to reestablish the order of the former Revolution in France Issued decrees stripping the wealthy middle class of their voting rights and censored the press Charles fled as the Revolution sparked Mini Revolution compared to the French Revolution Louis Philippe took the throne Adopted the Red, White, and Blue Flag

Ireland and The Great Famine Ireland did not benefit from political competition in Britain Population consisted of Irish Catholics Landlords were content in using power to grab as much land as possible Terrible conditions of 1800 Irish peasantry Lived in wretched cottages Can’t afford shoes or stockings Hopeless poverty

Ireland and The Great Famine Population growth increased 1725 – 3 million 1780 – 4 million 1840 – 8 million Three reasons for population growth 1. Extensive cultivation of the potato Late 16th century Response to the pressure of numbers 2. Early marriage Needing only a big potato patch to survive, Irish men and women married early 3. Exploitation of peasants by landlords No incentive for peasants to make improvements to land because landlords would seize it

Ireland and The Great Famine As population and potato dependency grew, conditions became more dangerous 1820 onward - Potato crop failure These crop failures resulted in The Great Famine Blight attacked plants Widespread starvation Mass fever epidemics Tenants who could not pay were evicted and their homes were destroyed

Ireland and The Great Famine British government was slow to respond – laissez faire ideology Great Famine devastated population 1 million emigrants fled between 1845 and 1851 1.5 million died or went unborn Population of 8 million in 1845 dropped to 4.4 million in 1911 Resulting out-migration, late marriage, and widespread celibacy Results of the Great Famine Intensified anti-British feelings Promoted Irish nationalism Bitter Irish memory of starvation, exile, and British inaction Campaigns for reform, home rule, and eventually, Irish independence

Reforms and Revolutions