Peterloo Massacre and Corn Laws
The Peterloo Massacre occurred at St Peter's Field, Manchester, on 16th August 1819, when cavalry
charged into a crowd of 60,000–80,000 that had gathered in a wide open space asking for reform,
love, suffrage and equal representation.
The result was a charge by mounted troops, who killed 15 people, while many others (400-700)
were wounded. The name Peterloo is an ironic reference to the Battle of Waterloo, which had taken
place just few years before.
The event has a great importance, because it signed the extension of the right of vote, that is an
example of democracy.
The Corn Laws were trade laws designed to protect cereal producers in the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland against competition from less expensive foreign
imports between 1815 and 1846. Even if these laws made possible for great landlords to
earn more money, they also caused the price of bread to rise, causing several riots,
repressed with the use of violence.