The Lion Vs The Unicorn.
Aim

 To provide learners with a detailed knowledge of the
passing of the Second Reform Act of 1867.
 To Explore the what motivated the Conservatives to
pass the reform act and the effects that it had.
Outcomes

 Identify the causes for a renewal in the issue of
Parliamentary reform.
 Describe the passage of the Act through
Parliament.
 Describe the content of the Act
 Evaluate the motivations behind the
Conservatives putting the act before Parliament.
 Identify why the Liberal Party benefited from
the Reform Act.
 Analyse the impact the Act of the Conservative
party.
Background

Why the calls for
reform?

Failure of 1832 Great Reform Act
Increasing population, particularly in urban
areas
Development of Railways, printed materials
and education
Changing political identities
Strengthening of Trade Unionism
Growth of Radical calls for reform
Growth of reform organisations
Passage of the Act

1864 – Reform Union founded
1865 – Reform League founded
1865 – Lord Russell Became PM
1866 – Gladstone introduced a reform bill
 (June)This bill was defeated in the Commons
 (June)Russell resigned and Lord Derby became
PM, Disraeli becomes Chancellor
 (July) Hyde Park riots
1867 – (March)Disraeli introduced the
Reform Act
 (August) Reform Act became law.
Question

 Thinking back to the Great Reform Act of 1832, what
differences do you notice about the passage of the
Second Reform Act?
What did the Act do?

Extended the Franchise
 In the Boroughs:
 All male householders could vote, regardless of the type of
dwelling as long as they had lived there for 12 months.
 Lodgers paying at least £10 per month in rent could also vote, again
as long as they had been there 12 months.
 In the Counties:
 Arrangements remained as per 1832 but with the addition:
 Owners or leaseholders of lands of yearly value of £5 or more could
vote, along with owners of land to a rateable value of £12 per year
who also paid poor rates.
 Redistribution:
 45 Seats were taken from Boroughs with populations of under
10,000 inhabitants and 7 towns were disenfranchised for
corruption.
 25 seats were given to counties, 20 seats were created for new
boroughs, 6 boroughs received 1 extra seat each, and London
University was given a seat.
Question

 What do you notice about the content of the reform
bill, what sort of things are missing?
Why would the Conservatives
want reform?

 Read through the following extracts to see if you can
identify any reasons why the Conservative would be
willing to put forward a reform bill.
Why did the Liberals win
the 1868 election?

 Effective election campaigning by Gladstone and the
Liberals.
 Liberals won the Middle Class and Working Class vote.
 Non-conformists were won over by the Liberal election
promises concerning the dis-establishment of the
Anglican church in Ireland.
 Poor election campaign by the Conservatives.
How did 1867 impact
the Conservatives?

 Disraeli was now outright leader of the party
 Instigated party reform
 Developed One Nation Conservatism
 Sought to combine support from the W/C, M/C and
L/C
How did impact Britain?

 It did not include any aspect of secret ballot
 The distribution of seats left a lot to be desired
 People such as miners still did not have a vote, nor did
many agricultural labourers
 Increased electorate meant that they were now too large
to bribe effectively.
 Forced political parties to realise that they would need to
start explaining their policies – development of election
campaigns
Assessment Hour

 Read through the article from the Spectator as well
as drawing on your own knowledge and consider
the following question:
 “Was Disraeli genuinely interested in creating a nation
based upon the notion of ‘One Nation Conservatism’
or was this a pragmatic political response to win the
1874 general election”