OCR Specification focus:
‘Whigs and Tory attitudes to reform 1783–1830; early reform attempts 1785–1830’
Between 1783 and 1830, Britain’s political classes debated parliamentary reform. Both Whigs and Tories expressed conflicting views, while limited reform attempts highlighted the persistence of entrenched opposition.
Whig Attitudes to Reform
The Whigs, traditionally associated with opposition to unchecked monarchical power, were not a uniformly reformist party. Their stance towards parliamentary reform varied across the period.
Early Whig Reformist Thinking
Some Whigs advocated moderate reform, often to prevent wider radical change.
Charles James Fox supported limited parliamentary reform, arguing that it would make government more representative without undermining the monarchy.
Parliamentary reform: The process of adjusting the rules, structure, or representation within Parliament to make it more responsive or representative.
Fox’s proposals typically emphasised modest changes, such as reducing corruption in boroughs and expanding the electorate slightly.
Karl Anton Hickel’s The House of Commons, 1793–1794 depicts the debating chamber at the height of the Pitt–Fox rivalry. It locates the attitudes you describe—conservative caution versus Whig openness to limited reform—in their authentic parliamentary setting. As a broad group portrait, it includes many MPs not discussed in the notes. Source
Conservative Whig Opposition
A significant section of the Whigs resisted reform, fearing it would destabilise the constitution.
They stressed the importance of the mixed constitution, balancing Crown, Lords and Commons.
Their opposition aligned them with Tory positions, particularly during times of unrest.
Tory Attitudes to Reform
The Tories were generally hostile to reform, seeing it as a threat to order and property. Their outlook was shaped by conservatism and fear of revolutionary upheaval.
Opposition to Change
Tories believed the existing constitution was stable and balanced.
They opposed extending the franchise, fearing democratic excess would weaken property rights and social hierarchy.
The French Revolution from 1789 onwards hardened their position, as they equated reform with radicalism and revolution.
Pragmatic Adjustments
Some Tories, particularly later in the period, began to recognise limited reform could preserve order.
William Pitt the Younger, though often categorised as a Tory, demonstrated some reformist inclinations early in his career, notably in 1785.
Early Reform Attempts 1785–1830
Despite broad elite opposition, several attempts were made to introduce reforms, although all met with failure.
Pitt’s Reform Bill of 1785
Pitt introduced a proposal to redistribute seats from rotten boroughs to counties and expand representation.
Rotten borough: A parliamentary constituency with very few voters that still retained the right to elect an MP, often dominated by a patron.
The bill aimed to transfer representation from boroughs with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants.
The reformers’ attack on the old rotten tree (1831), a hand-coloured etching, depicts a decaying “Rotten Borough System” tree whose nests are named boroughs with tiny electorates. Reformers (including Grey, Brougham and Burdett) chop the tree while Peel and Wellington prop it up, visualising the contest between reformers and anti-reformers. Dated 1831, it slightly post-dates the window but directly clarifies the issues driving reform at the end of the period. Source
Whig Proposals in the 1790s
During the radical upsurge inspired by the French Revolution, some Whigs advocated reform to reduce unrest.
Figures such as Charles Grey (later Earl Grey) supported petitions for broader representation.
However, fear of radicalism and the outbreak of war with France meant reformist Whigs were marginalised.
Radical Pressure and Tory Response
Popular radical societies campaigned for reform, but Tory governments responded with repression rather than reform.
Reform proposals were rejected on grounds they would encourage instability.
The 1790s repression cemented Tory hostility towards any suggestion of altering the constitution.
Later Reform Petitions and Bills
From 1809 onwards, reform petitions resurfaced, reflecting dissatisfaction with corruption.
In 1817 and 1821, reform motions were introduced in Parliament by Sir Francis Burdett, demanding wider representation.
These were consistently defeated, reflecting entrenched parliamentary resistance.
In the late 1820s, with mounting discontent, reform continued to be raised but without immediate success.
Examples included Old Sarum, Gatton and Dunwich, which had tiny electorates yet returned two MPs.
John Constable’s Old Sarum at Noon (1829) shows the deserted earthworks above Salisbury. Despite its lack of residents, Old Sarum returned two MPs before 1832, exemplifying a rotten borough. The artwork is topographical; beyond electoral context it includes landscape detail not required by the syllabus. Source
Underlying Reasons for Opposition
Fear of Revolution
Both Whigs and Tories shared an overriding fear that reform could unleash revolution, especially after the examples of France and Ireland.
Conservative politicians argued any alteration risked undermining the social hierarchy and property rights.
Patronage and Self-Interest
Many MPs owed their seats to the system of borough patronage and thus had no interest in changing it.
Boroughs were used as instruments of political control, binding politicians to wealthy patrons.
Stability and Gradualism
The prevailing political ideology valued gradual change and continuity.
Reform was equated with radical disruption rather than with necessary adaptation.
Significance of Early Reform Debates
Although reform failed before 1830, the debates highlighted:
Growing awareness of corruption and the unrepresentative nature of Parliament.
The beginning of a reformist tradition within certain Whig circles.
Entrenched Tory opposition, which reinforced the image of the party as defenders of the established order.
Mounting public pressure, which would play a decisive role in forcing the issue by the early 1830s.
This period therefore set the stage for the eventual breakthrough of the Great Reform Act of 1832, even though reformers faced persistent rejection in the decades beforehand.
FAQ
Pitt’s proposal to transfer seats from rotten boroughs to underrepresented counties was opposed by MPs who feared losing influence and patronage.
Many MPs owed their seats to borough patrons and did not want to reduce their own power.
The monarchy, particularly George III, was also unsupportive of measures that might weaken Crown influence in Parliament.
Public opinion became more vocal during the 1790s and again after 1815, with petitions and political societies calling for greater representation.
However, governments largely dismissed these pressures, associating mass mobilisation with radicalism and instability.
While popular discontent highlighted growing dissatisfaction, elites resisted reform to avoid appearing to concede to radical demands.
Grey was an important Whig reform advocate who presented petitions for parliamentary reform in the 1790s.
He sought to extend representation modestly, particularly for larger counties and populous towns.
His efforts were overshadowed by fears of radicalism and war with France, but he later became central to the passing of the 1832 Reform Act.
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 reinforced fears that political reform could lead to violent upheaval.
Many British politicians saw Irish unrest as proof that altering established systems could destabilise society.
This hardened Tory and conservative Whig opposition, making them less willing to risk any form of reform in Britain.
Burdett’s motions in 1817 and 1821 kept the issue of parliamentary reform alive in the Commons.
He argued for broader representation and highlighted corruption within boroughs.
His proposals were repeatedly defeated, showing how entrenched resistance remained.
Although unsuccessful, his actions linked parliamentary reform debates to popular radical agitation, foreshadowing growing pressure for change by 1830.
Practice Questions
Question 1 (2 marks)
Name one example of a rotten borough and explain why it was criticised.
Mark Scheme:
1 mark for correctly naming a rotten borough (e.g. Old Sarum, Gatton, Dunwich).
1 mark for explaining why it was criticised (e.g. had very few or no residents yet still elected MPs, making representation corrupt and unbalanced).
Question 2 (6 marks)
Explain two reasons why many Tories opposed parliamentary reform between 1783 and 1830.
Mark Scheme:
Up to 3 marks for each well-explained reason.
Possible reasons include:
Fear of revolution: Tories associated reform with radical upheaval, particularly after the French Revolution (1 mark for identifying fear, 2 marks for linking it to wider revolutionary context and instability).
Defence of the existing constitution: Tories valued the mixed constitution and believed reform would undermine balance and property rights (1 mark for identifying defence of constitution, 2 marks for explaining its importance to order and hierarchy).
Patronage and self-interest: Many MPs benefited directly from rotten boroughs and had no desire to lose influence (1 mark for identifying patronage, 2 marks for linking it to resistance to change).
Maximum 6 marks.
