Whigs and Tories

History. Main features.

 18th century London
Whigs and Tories
pulling for a
crown

Historical facts
The Whig and Tory parties played an important role in British politics in the decades following
the Glorious Revolution. This paper builds on the The History of Parliament between 1690 and
1740.
• The Whigs are shown to be more strongly represented in southeastern municipal boroughs.
• The Tories were strongest in Midland.
Oliver Cromwell

The formation of the Two

Parties
After the English Civil War had established a protectorate in
place of a monarchy under New Model Army leader Oliver
Cromwell, was restored to the throne but was under specific
limits placed upon by parliament. The Bill of Rights was
enacted in 1689, and certain privileges were protected from
intrusion by any power including the monarchy.
The people who wished to exclude James from the throne came
to be known as Whigs, and the people who gave support were
known as Tories, or the Tory party.

King Charles II
Both names inherently have negative connotations: 'Whig'
means a horse driver in Scottish Gaelic, and 'Tory' means outlaw
in the Irish Gaelic language.
 Anglican Church

The Tories came to represent and support the Anglican Church,

the gentry, and the maintenance of a relatively strong monarchy.
On the other hand, the Whigs supported non-Anglicans (notably
Presbyterians), wealthy middle class people, and later industrial,
mercantile interests.
 During the Glorious Revolution
(1688-89) the two Whig and
Tory parties cooperated in
discontinuing the Stuart
dynasty and seating William III
of Orange on the throne of
England, Scotland, and Ireland.
It was during this period that
the two parties, although their
differences were ameliorated to
Glorious Revolution drawing
an extent, moved forward
another step in fomenting their
respective party identities.
 At the End of the 18th Century

• The political parties were just loose groupings who

voted together in Parliament;
• No structure, or conferences or local branches;
• Both dominated by the landed aristocracy and both
led by Anglicans;
• There were only subtle differences of emphasis.
 William Pitt

Tory Beliefs
1. The ‘divine right of kings’;
2. The Tories strongly defended the supremacy of the Church of
England;
3. Tories were overwhelmingly and exclusively made up of landed
aristocracy;
4. The Tories were fearful of and resistant to change and revolution;
5. The Tories believed the existing political system should never be
reformed
6. In 1783 the leader of the Tories was William Pitt (the younger)
 Charles Fox

Whig Beliefs
1. The Whigs though loyal were more likely to question the
power and expenditure of the King and the royal family;
2. The Whigs believed Parliament should have more power
than the King;
3. They were mainly aristocrats;
4. The Whigs were sympathetic to extended rights to religious
minorities;
5. The Whigs were less resistant to change;
6. In 1783 the leader of the Whigs was Charles Fox.
 What they became

• In 1834 the Tories were forced to abandon their

complete resistance to all change following the
Greater reform Act of 1832.
• Throughout the next 100 years the Whigs became
increasingly the party of the new middle class and
by 1859 had been relaunched as the Liberal Party
by William Gladstone committed to free trade and
modernising reform.
Thank you for
attention