Britain, c1785-c1870: Democracy, Protest and Reform | Edexcel A-Level History (9HI0)

Britain, c1785-c1870: Democracy, Protest and Reform

158 questions
16 subtopics
Paper 1: the breadth study, one route of eight
Paper 1

A Paper 1 breadth study of Britain from the eve of the French Revolution to the second Reform Act, covering the growth of parliamentary democracy, the industrial economy and the protest it produced, trade unionism and cooperation, and the reform of the Poor Law.

The historical interpretations section asks why the slave trade and slavery were abolished.

Sample questions from Britain, c1785-c1870: Democracy, Protest and Reform

Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.

The unreformed parliament and its critics, c1785–1820

What was a pocket borough?

Show the answer
A constituency where a single patron controlled the choice of member, usually because the electorate was tiny and dependent on him for land or employment.
Further parliamentary reform, 1852–70

Why did reform revive in the 1850s and 1860s?

Show the answer
Prosperity made working men seem safer to enfranchise, the American Civil War and Italian unification raised political interest, and the death of Palmerston in 1865 removed a determined obstacle.
Working conditions in factories, mines and foundries

Why were children employed in factories?

Show the answer
They were cheap, small enough to crawl under machinery, and thought more docile; pauper apprentices were supplied in numbers by parishes in the early years.
Unions and their opponents, c1785–1834

What were trade societies?

Show the answer
Local clubs of skilled craftsmen that combined benefit functions with control of entry to the trade and the maintenance of customary wages.
The growth of cooperative activities

Why was New Lanark significant?

Show the answer
It was profitable as well as humane, so it could be used as evidence that good conditions and commercial success were compatible, and it attracted visitors from across Europe.
The Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 and its effects

How did economic downturns expose the limits of the new Poor Law?

Show the answer
In industrial slumps mass unemployment made the workhouse test impractical, forcing continued use of outdoor relief in northern towns.
Humanitarian campaigns and the influence of religion

How did Evangelicalism drive the anti-slavery campaign?

Show the answer
It held that slavery was a national sin for which God would punish Britain, and its members, the Clapham Sect among them, brought money, parliamentary influence and moral urgency.
Clarkson, Wilberforce and Equiano

How did Thomas Clarkson gather his evidence?

Show the answer
By travelling tens of thousands of miles to the slaving ports, interviewing sailors and surgeons, and collecting shackles, thumbscrews and African goods to display.

The 16 subtopics

One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.

Subtopic	What it covers	Questions
The unreformed parliament and its critics, c1785–1820	Recall questions on who could vote, rotten and pocket boroughs, open voting at the hustings, the early radical critics, and what the manufacturing interest wanted.	10
Pressure for change and reform, 1820–52	Recall questions on Peterloo and the Six Acts, post-war distress, why the Whigs took up reform, what the 1832 Act did, and why working men felt betrayed.	10
Further parliamentary reform, 1852–70	Recall questions on the Reform League and the middle-class National Reform Union, changing views of the working-class voter, Disraeli's 1867 Act, and who it enfranchised.	10
The impact of industrialisation	Recall questions on banking and investment, the industrial middle class, regional diversity, urban growth, government attitudes, and the coming of the railways.	10
Working conditions in factories, mines and foundries	Recall questions on hours and factory discipline, the dangers of machinery, child and female labour, back-to-back housing, and the life expectancy figures.	10
Industrialisation, protest and reform	Recall questions on Luddism and the Swing Riots, how protest changed after 1830, the Ten Hour Movement, and the arguments made against factory legislation.	10
Unions and their opponents, c1785–1834	Recall questions on trade societies and knobsticks, the Combination Acts and their repeal, the Tolpuddle Martyrs, and why the early general unions collapsed.	10
New model unionism 1835–70	Recall questions on the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, high subscriptions and friendly benefits, the Junta, the Sheffield Outrages, and the founding of the TUC.	11
The growth of cooperative activities	Recall questions on Owen at New Lanark, his wider communal schemes, the Rochdale Pioneers and the dividend, and the scale of the friendly societies.	10
The old Poor Law and pressure for change	Recall questions on how parish relief worked, Speenhamland and the Roundsman system, utilitarian argument, and the financial pressure on ratepayers.	10
The Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 and its effects	Recall questions on unions and guardians, the workhouse regime, less eligibility, why outdoor relief continued, and the opposition in the north.	10
Changing attitudes towards the poor, 1834-70	Recall questions on the Andover scandal, the Charity Organisation Society, Samuel Smiles and self-help, and what Mayhew and Dickens showed the public.	9
Humanitarian campaigns and the influence of religion	Recall questions on the Quakers and the Evangelicals, mass petitioning and the sugar boycott, women's associations, and the shift to immediate emancipation.	10
Economic and financial factors in abolition	Recall questions on Adam Smith's argument, the Williams thesis and Drescher's reply, the weakening West Indian interest, and the cost of compensation and suppression.	8
Clarkson, Wilberforce and Equiano	Recall questions on how Clarkson gathered his evidence, Wilberforce in the Commons, Equiano's narrative, Granville Sharp, and the Zong case.	10
The changing political climate	Recall questions on the Haitian Revolution, Bussa's rising and Demerara, the Baptist War, the reformed parliament, and the apprenticeship system.	10

Britain, c1785-c1870: Democracy, Protest and Reform is 158 of the 6,832 questions in the guide.Get the guide, £9

How the guide is worked

Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.

Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.

Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.