1. Significance of the Whig Reforms

2. Factory Act 1833
The 10 Hours Movement of working men and women had campaigned hard for factory reform – they were disappointed by the Act which focussed only on children
Working people lost faith in the Whigs turning more to the Chartist Movement
Inspector system set up by the Act (all four of them!) wasn’t very effective in the short term, but in the long term had set a precedent and a structure for later factory reform.

3. Poor Law Amendment Act 1834
Reinforced the Elizabethan view that poverty and unemployment was down to personal choice and personal shortcomings.
Conditions in the Union workhouses were dreadful – segregation, families split up, ‘prison’ uniforms and regulations, dreadful food and hard labour.
‘Fear of the workhouse’ became a feature of working class culture for 100 years
Widespread resistance to the PLAA in industrial north with the industrial working class again losing faith with the Whigs and turning more and more to radical movements like Chartism

4. Municipal Corporations Act 1835
Consolidated new found middle class political power with the extension of local votes to the middle class
New councils dominated by businessmen, shopkeepers and professionals
Law and order and the protection of property improved with policing
Local government still unwilling to tackle the problems with affected the working class most – housing, clean water, sewers

5. Other Changes
The Education grant can be seen as a tentative first step towards state education.
More rights for religious minorities:
1836 Marriage Act gave Nonconformists and Catholics the right to marry in their own churches
London University (who admitted non C of E students) given right to confer degrees

6. Summary Some influence of Benthamite idea of ‘utility’ evident
Some influence of humanitarianism
Middle class ideas of economic laissez faire however still a powerful influence
Very little for the poor – in fact emerge from the Whig years in a worse position than before – working class turn political attention to Chartism

7. 1834 Interruption
In July 1834 Grey resigned to be succeeded by Melbourne. Melbourne didn’t really want the job and by November had resigned.
King William then asks Robert Peel to form a minority Tory Government. The Tories are defeated 6 times in 6 weeks in the Commons and by 1835 the Whigs are back in office.

8. Tamworth Manifesto and the birth of Conservatism
The only act of any significance during peel’s very brief premiership was the ‘Tamworth Manifesto’ – an address Peel made to the votes of Tamworth (his constituency) in 1835.
Peel redefined Toryism as ‘Conservatism’ accepting the changes of the Great Reform Bill and ending the Tory resistance to all change.
From this point on the Conservatives believe in ‘conserving’ was is good but also to ‘redress for proven grievances’