How successful was Lord Liverpool's government in responding to Popular Discontent in the years 1815 to 1820?
How successful was Lord Liverpool’s government in responding to Popular Discontent in the years 1815 to 1820?
Lord Liverpool’s government faced popular discontent in the years 1815 to 1820 due to various social, political and economic factors which led to the majority of the British Public wanting a change. A change in government, government policies and a change to overcome the mass unemployment they were suffering from as a direct result of the end of the Napoleonic War, industrialisation and urbanisation. However, despite the widely held view that amendments – in favour of the working class – were needed, no such change came about in the years 1815 to 1820. Lord Liverpool’s government was partly responsible for this as it introduced a number of repressive policies to prevent the people from revolting; however it is argued that the main reason for the lack of change was due to the disorganisation of the radical opposition.
At the end of the Napoleonic War, Britain began trading with Europe once again. This worried the farmers who were afraid that the importation of foreign corn would lower prices. As a result, the British landowners put pressure on the House of Commons to take action and protect their profit and were successful, resulting in the Corn Law being introduced. This applied a tax to all foreign wheat imports unless they reached the domestic price of 80 shillings and was viewed by the industrial class as a way in which the government was protecting the rich landowners – and paying no regard to the working, industrial class majority. The introduction of this law made things incredibly hard for the poor who were already struggling to feed their families and suffering from unemployment, furthermore manufacturers were affected by this law as their workers began demanding higher wages. As well as strikes, the Corn Law led to food riots all over Britain and was the reason many middle class moderate reformers began joining in to the call for change.
Lord Liverpool’s government faced popular discontent in the years 1815 to 1820 due to various social, political and economic factors which led to the majority of the British Public wanting a change. A change in government, government policies and a change to overcome the mass unemployment they were suffering from as a direct result of the end of the Napoleonic War, industrialisation and urbanisation. However, despite the widely held view that amendments – in favour of the working class – were needed, no such change came about in the years 1815 to 1820. Lord Liverpool’s government was partly responsible for this as it introduced a number of repressive policies to prevent the people from revolting; however it is argued that the main reason for the lack of change was due to the disorganisation of the radical opposition.
At the end of the Napoleonic War, Britain began trading with Europe once again. This worried the farmers who were afraid that the importation of foreign corn would lower prices. As a result, the British landowners put pressure on the House of Commons to take action and protect their profit and were successful, resulting in the Corn Law being introduced. This applied a tax to all foreign wheat imports unless they reached the domestic price of 80 shillings and was viewed by the industrial class as a way in which the government was protecting the rich landowners – and paying no regard to the working, industrial class majority. The introduction of this law made things incredibly hard for the poor who were already struggling to feed their families and suffering from unemployment, furthermore manufacturers were affected by this law as their workers began demanding higher wages. As well as strikes, the Corn Law led to food riots all over Britain and was the reason many middle class moderate reformers began joining in to the call for change.