How Important Was Extra-Parliamentary Agitation for the Passage of

the 1832 Reform Act?

Popular discontent during the Reform Crisis in the 1830s was best exemplified by events such
as the Bristol Riots and the May Days, largely in response to Tory politicians opting to rally
against the Reform Bill on several occasions. Several historical accounts argue that the
political crisis caused by electoral reform promoted a revolutionary environment within
Britain, alarming Tory MPs and ensuring their concession to Whig reform. However, whilst
extra-Parliamentary pressure, especially from the Political Unions, was important to
facilitating the cause for reform, to say that such agitation forced the government to surrender
to popular demand would be a gross exaggeration of its significance. Rather, it was the death
of George IV and the subsequent general election which truly enabled government approval of
the Great Reform Act, since it not only brought a more open-minded monarch to power, but
also allowed the pro-reform camp to make significant advances in Commons. Therefore,
extra-Parliamentary agitation can best be considered as having elevated the issue of electoral
reform, although it did not overtly contribute to the actual passage of the act.
The most significant orchestrators of extra-Parliamentary pressure were undoubtedly Francis
Place and Thomas Atwood, with the full force of the Political Unions in support of their calls
for reform during the 1830s. Whilst the October riots were a source of displeasure for these
leaders due to their potential to undermine efforts for peaceful pressure, Atwood maintained
that he would support the pro-reform camp taking up arms against the government in order to
preserve middle-class control of the campaign for reform. The enormous demonstrations
organised by the Birmingham Political Union against the Lords and the Church, following the
rejections of the second Reform Bill, were a source of alarm for Parliament. Indeed, Grey’s
government saw the Bristol riots and the widespread protests which accompanied them as
further motivation to resolve the reform crisis. Grey demonstrated such efforts when he
reconvened Parliament early in order to propose another Reform Bill. Popular demand and the
pressure of organised pro-reform group can be considered instrumental in motivating the
Whigs in Commons to continue pushing for reform which they already planned to implement
in the first place.
Furthermore, events in France during this period, notably the overthrow of Charles X and the
ascension of Louis Phillipe I, were of notable concern to Radical critics of Parliament. Whig
alarmism in response to such affairs was represented by spokesmen like Thomas Macaulay,
who saw revolutionary sentiment in France against a constitutional monarchy as a potential
occurrence in Britain. Critics of the existing Parliamentary structure argued that if the Bourbon
Restoration had collapsed due its disastrous refusal to accept the grievances of the electorate,
then the possibility for such an event surely existed in Britain. Extra-Parliamentary agitation
overseas could have inspired the Whigs to push through with efforts for the Reform Bill in order
to avoid the same fate as the French ruling elite. In this case, the fear of French exportation of
revolutionary sentiment, which had already proved effective in dictating government policy
during the French Revolution, provoked a swift reaction from the Whigs and encouraged them to
work towards reform.
However, the extent to which these extra-Parliamentary factors contributed to the ultimate
passage of the act has been subject to much scrutiny. Parliament had control of the militias and
suppressive legislation in cases of national emergency, meaning that it had little cause for alarm
should more volatile reformers attempt to engage in violent revolution. Therefore, the usurpation
of Charles X would not have been a very significant towards the passage of the Act.
Additionally, the threat posed by the October Riots and the May Days was, in reality, not so
great. The peak of insurrection was Place’s calls for a run on the banks in May 1832, and there is
no evidence that the middle classmen within the Political Unions would have favoured an
alliance with workers in manufacturing towns. In fact, the growth of large urban centres within
an unfavourable economic climate often pitted labour and capital against each other, as shown by
hostilities between the National Union of Working Classes and Place’s National Political Union.
Parliament never lost sight of the fact that it was ultimately in control of national affairs, so it is
difficult to characterise extra-Parliamentary agitation as a substantial contributor to the political
undertakings of Parliament during the Reform Crisis.
Even if external factors elevated the issue of reform to Parliament, they would have had little
effect on political actuality in Britain had it not been for the change in political environment. The
death of George IV enlarged the political playing field for Grey’s administration, not only
because it brought a more compliant monarch to the throne, but because it necessitated a general
election in which the pro-reform camps made considerable advancements. Prior to his death in
June 1830, George IV had been a staunch opponent of Catholic Emancipation and had also
extended his support to the Tory Cabinet. With the arrival of William IV to the English throne
came a reinvigorated effort towards electoral reform. The new King considered the existing
political system in a more realistic light than his predecessor, which put Grey’s ambitions further
in reach. The 1830 election allowed pro-reform candidates performed exceptionally well, much
to the alarm of the Tories. Henry Brougham, a Whig Radical, managed to secure a Yorkshire
seat on a clearly-outlined radical agenda. Such success was to pave the way for the Whigs
eventually gaining a majority in Commons and persuading the King to intervene on behalf of
those Parliamentarians with a reforming agenda. The importance of King George’s death upon
the ability of Grey’s administration to dictate Parliamentary policy and eventually pass the Great
Reform Act cannot be understated, since it removed one of the greatest obstructions to reforming
legislation.
Moreover, the collapse of the Tory Party, largely a result of Wellington’s lack of political
competence or ministerial alliances, allowed the Whigs to make such significant developments
and ultimately end up leading Commons. Wellington’s stubbornness and his apparent
nonchalance in the face of the reform crisis pushed many moderate Tories, such as the
Huskissonites, into an alliance with Grey’s government, which resulted in a considerable Whig
advantage in Parliamentary affairs. Wellington’s ineffectiveness as a political leader was what
disabled his efforts to form a government after Grey’s resignation, contributing to William IV’s
reappointment of Grey as Prime Minister. Therefore, the withdrawal of political support from the
Tory Party and Wellington’s unsuccessful efforts as leader of the Cabinet can be considered as
major factors in the passage of the Great Reform Act, given that they provided an optimal
political context within which Grey’s administration could operate. In this sense, changes in
Parliamentary conditions were more important as immediate contributors to the acceptance of the
third Reform Bill than extra-Parliamentary agitation.
In conclusion, it is fair to say that Parliament was never in a position wherein the working class
would have allied itself with the middle class in order to facilitate a Jacobin-style overthrow of
the aristocracy. Extra-Parliamentary agitation was not so great a contributor to the eventual
passage of the Reform Act, given that the death of George IV and the effective collapse of
political backing for the Tory Party were of much greater significance. However, to overlook
extra-parliamentary contributors to the reform crisis, especially the maintenance of public
support for reform by groups such as the Political Union and the press, results in an inadequate
understanding of the reform crisis. The Bristol Riots and the mass withdrawal of funds from the
bank’s gold reserves in May were definitely a source of alarm for a Parliament which saw itself
increasingly yielding to the demands of the middle class. Whilst external disturbances were
never a substantial source of distress for a Parliament whose Commons came to be dominated by
Whigs, the expression of increasing popular demand towards government reform accelerated the
process of implementing such legislation.