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What was the context of politics in the mid-19th century?
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Britain – Politics, 1846-65
In this course, Professor Jeremy Black (University of Exeter) discusses politics from 1846 to 1865. In the first module, we look at the context of politics in the mid-19th century. Then, we look at why religion was such an important issue for the Russell Government. After this, we look at why there was opposition to Russell’s reforms and why politics was unstable. Following this, we look at the effect of the condition of England and the Crimean War. In the penultimate module, we look at the challenges for Britain during Palmerston’s governments. Finally, we look at why the transformations of the time meant politics had to change.
What was the context of politics in the mid-19th century?
In this module, we look at the context of politics in the mid-19th century. In particular, we focus on the key questions: (i) What are the key contexts to consider in mid-19th century British politics?; (ii) How did the absence of certain crises shape political flexibility and strategy?; (iii) What was the impact of Chartism and potential violence on political stability?; (iv) How did political leaders handle the potential for instability?; and (v) What was the role of political leadership in navigating these challenges?
Hello. I'm Jeremy Black.
00:00:05I was professor of history at the University of Exeter,
00:00:07I want to talk to you today about the transformation of
00:00:09British politics in the mid nineteenth century.
00:00:12What I want to start off doing is looking at the context
00:00:16because I think the contexts are tremendously important.
00:00:19It's all too easy to focus on the particular political
00:00:22maneuvers to talk about lord John Russell and how,
00:00:26the the tories were left as a result of the repeal the
00:00:30Cornwall controversy with a divided
00:00:34party, which provided the whigs with an opportunity,
00:00:37but nevertheless didn't give them enough it's all too easy
00:00:40to look in terms in other words of political calculation
00:00:43at the high political But we're interested in British
00:00:48politics in the mid nineteenth century as a hold.
00:00:51So let us try and think about how these politics worked and
00:00:55what were the key themes in them?
00:00:59Well, first of all, and here the present situation gives you
00:01:01an easy guide to one of the things we need to be thinking
00:01:05about, which is often what doesn't happen.
00:01:09And one of the pre issues that doesn't happen in the mid
00:01:12nineteenth century nor indeed the early nineteenth century
00:01:15nor the late nineteenth century is a Scottish question.
00:01:18I mean, it's really interesting.
00:01:21We look at the Irish question.
00:01:23We look at the role for example,
00:01:24of Ireland and encouraging the repeal of Catholic,
00:01:27measures against Catholics in eighteen twenty eight.
00:01:30We look at the Irish issue as causing a problem for the wigs,
00:01:33in the eighteen fifties.
00:01:37We look at the, Irish problem in causing the famine agitation,
00:01:39desire for change at the point of the repeal of the Gorn Law
00:01:43in, in the, you know, in eighteen forty five,
00:01:46eighteen forty six,
00:01:49but we don't actually have to think about Scotland nor did
00:01:50the whigs nor did what we might call the Liberals nor did the
00:01:54Tories nor did the conservatives and it's the
00:01:57things we don't have to talk about that actually help to
00:02:00provide the political context.
00:02:04In some respects, politicians in London had to only
00:02:06consider two possible spheres, Britain as a whole and Ireland.
00:02:11And that in fact gave them a considerable degree of
00:02:17flexibility that is worth thinking about.
00:02:21Next, point.
00:02:24And again, we're looking here about the context in the mid nineteenth
00:02:25century that are worthy of consideration.
00:02:29Yes, there was a build up for chartism.
00:02:32And, yes, there were episodes that were either associated with chartism
00:02:35by with reasonable nature or that could be associated by critics.
00:02:39And there were episodes of violence in Newport Wales,
00:02:43for example, but the striking thing about chartism,
00:02:47though it wasn't inevitable only until in the aftermath,
00:02:50is that it was not a violent overthrow of the British state.
00:02:54And that, again, you can see all over Britain We've got to
00:02:59look at this quite carefully because we're considering
00:03:03transitions in mid century.
00:03:06There is evidence that the eighteen forty eight crisis
00:03:08came close to large scale violence and problems in
00:03:12Ireland than people
00:03:15necessarily understand.
00:03:18And that this may well have been a factor affecting
00:03:20considerations in the government in London.
00:03:22But what is striking is that in the main house,
00:03:25Britain as a whole, this was not an issue.
00:03:28And do remember, that at the time of eighteen forty eight,
00:03:30the government strengthened the defenses of the tower of London
00:03:34They deployed large numbers of special con constables.
00:03:38There was a preparation for warfulness if you like for
00:03:41violence, mass violence,
00:03:46which is comparable to nineteen twenty six, the general strike.
00:03:48When the government of the day deployed tanks, deployed
00:03:52troops, escorted food from the docks with troops,
00:03:55signed up large numbers of specials and generally prepared
00:03:58for the possibility of civil insurrection.
00:04:02Now just as that did occur in nineteen twenty six,
00:04:06so it didn't occur in eighteen forty eight.
00:04:09And each of those absences is very important to the
00:04:11political situation because what one needs to understand is
00:04:15that if one's looking at the uncertainty that Lord John
00:04:20Russell, how to cause lord John Russell
00:04:23was the weak prime minister that took office after,
00:04:27Peele went in eighteen forty six,
00:04:31if you're looking at the uncertainty that Russell
00:04:33caused, it was the anxiety that there might be a
00:04:36turn to lungs to instability,
00:04:40serious instability as a result of his values and his aspiration.
00:04:43And I want to look in the next little portion at his values
00:04:49and aspirations, but I want you to take away with you this idea
00:04:52that confidence about what didn't happen was
00:04:57nowhere near as strong
00:05:01that not everybody believed that Britain was in an age of
00:05:05improvement to use the term of a later famous historian Azer
00:05:08Briggs, and that in stead,
00:05:12what one has to understand is that there was anxiety and
00:05:14anxiety across the political spectrum.
00:05:19
Cite this Lecture
APA style
Black, J. (2024, April 25). Britain – Politics, 1846-65 - What was the context of politics in the mid-19th century? [Video]. MASSOLIT. https://massolit.io/courses/britain-politics-1846-65/why-was-religion-such-an-important-issue-for-the-russell-government
MLA style
Black, J. "Britain – Politics, 1846-65 – What was the context of politics in the mid-19th century?." MASSOLIT, uploaded by MASSOLIT, 25 Apr 2024, https://massolit.io/courses/britain-politics-1846-65/why-was-religion-such-an-important-issue-for-the-russell-government