Calls for reform and the 1832 Great Reform Act
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain why the Great Reform Act was introduced in 1832 and assess its impact on representation for industrial workers.
Key learning points
- Britain's unreformed parliament represented industrial workers poorly.
- The Whig government of Earl Grey and the Birmingham Political Union (BPU) helped bring about the 1832 Great Reform Act.
- The Great Reform Act expanded the franchise and gave representation to industrial towns.
- Despite the Great Reform Act, only one in five men could vote after 1832.
- Rules around being an MP were not changed by the Reform Act and remained a barrier to industrial workers representation.
Keywords
Franchise - the franchise refers to the group of people who can vote in a country's elections
Constituencies - the individual areas of a country that elect someone to represent them in Parliament are called constituencies
Disproportionate - something may be described as disproportionate if it is too large or small in comparison to something else
Rotten borough - a rotten borough was a constituency which elected an MP despite having very few voters
Representation - representation is the act of speaking or doing something officially for another person
Common misconception
Most campaigners for reform like the BPU wanted all adults in Britain to be enfranchised.
The BPU campaigned for tax-paying males to be enfranchised, which would have continued to exclude many poor workers as well as women.
Teacher tip
Ask students how the problems described in learning cycle 1 could have led the government to introduce and maintain laws like the Corn Laws.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Write the missing word. Lord Liverpool's government was described as because it opposed social progress and reform.
Q2.What is universal suffrage?
Q3.What did the violent attack by local yeomanry on a crowd at St Peter's Field in Manchester become known as?
Q4.Which two groups were commonly employed in cotton mills?
Q5.Which statement is most accurate?
Q6.Starting with the earliest, sort the events into chronological order.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match up the key words with their correct definitions.
areas that elect someone to represent them in Parliament
the group of people who can vote in a country's elections
a system where all adults can vote
Q2.Write the missing word. Old Sarum was a well-known borough as it had no actual population living in its constituency boundaries by 1831.
Q3.Who was the new prime Minister who supported reform in 1830?
Q4.How many adult men could vote after the passage of the Great Reform Act?
Q5.Which statement is most accurate?
Q6.Manchester and Totnes were both able to elect two MPs after the Great Reform Act. Based on this, which statement is most accurate?
To help you plan your 9 history lesson on: Calls for reform and the 1832 Great Reform Act, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 history lesson on: Calls for reform and the 1832 Great Reform Act, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
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