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British Reform Movement
A reform movement is an attempt to bring about change. This change is usually a gradual one, which
separates it from a revolutionary movement that happens suddenly. Some reform movements this
article will discuss include:
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Urban reform
Parliamentary reform (voting rights)
Chartist reform
Working Conditions and Child Labor
Trade Unions
The British reform movement did not occur because of one issue. The reformers of the 19th century
dealt with reforms such as inequality in government, voting rights, unfair legislation, and urban health.
With this in mind, the reform movements of this time can be considered responses to the changes
spurred on by the new industrialization.
However, one of the most enduring societal changes that occurred during this reform was the shift of
political power. Through changes in parliamentary representation and the expansion of voting rights,
the workers were gaining a voice in the government. This began a gradual shift from a government
based entirely on the influence of wealthy landowners to one that considered the struggles of
everyone in society.
Urban Reform
One of the earliest areas of reform was a response to the unclean and dangerous living conditions in
industrial cities. The reason we know about the appalling conditions in the industrial cities is due to the
work of social investigators. For instance, by observing the dirty appearance and stunted growth of
child laborers, many reformers began to ask why. Why did working children appear to be smaller and
more prone to illness than non-working children? How did this represent a danger to society? In
response, activists jumped to action in various ways.
Many reformers were from wealthier families. They viewed the problems of the poor as threats to
their own lifestyle. For instance, the rising rates of crime and outbreaks of disease had the potential to
make their lives more difficult, as well. One example was cholera, a deadly disease that had been
affecting European cities in the 1830s and 1840s. Because the disease became more prominent in the
overcrowded cities, wealthy city dwellers began to call for reform, too.
Since the Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain, the social problems created by this change were
observed by British reformers early on. Edwin Chadwick was a reformer with a background in law. He
was most noted for his work with the Poor Law Commission. During this time, he initiated a three-year
investigation into the living conditions of Britain's working class.
His work culminated in a thorough Report on the Sanitary Condition of the Labouring Population of
Great Britain in 1842. He reached many conclusions, such as that pollution and overcrowding explain
the rampant disease outbreaks in the industrial cities. In his report, he stated, 'That the annual loss of
life from filth and bad ventilation are greater than the loss from death or wounds in any wars in which
the country has been engaged in modern times.' His report was essential in influencing Parliament to
pass the Public Health Act of 1848. This act attempted to reform the sanitation systems in cities
throughout Britain. The specific changes called for in the Health Act included improved sewage
systems and filtering systems for the purification of water supplies. The Public Health Act of 1875
forced all town officials to pave, light, and clean town streets as well as appoint a Medical Officer of
Health and a Surveryor and Sanitary Inspector to advise local authorities on problems with sewage,
water supplies, diseases, food, and housing conditions.
Parliamentary Reform
During the Industrial Revolution, many workers were faced with severe poverty. They were unable to
leave this desperate situation because they had no political power in England. Wealthy male
landowners were the only people who had any political impact because they were the only people
with the right to vote and elect lawmakers to Parliament. With the exception of a few reformers, the
upper class were mostly out of touch with the struggles of the workers and their families.
At this time, Britain had two major political parties. The Tories were mostly members of the
aristocracy, and the Whigs were mostly wealthy merchants. The makeup of the government also
favored the landowners. For instance, the House of Lords was made up of aristocrats who served for
life, and the House of Commons was made up of landed aristocrats, industrialists, and merchants.
Change finally occurred in 1830 when the Whigs gained a majority and introduced the Reform Bill of
1832. The Reform Bill did the following:
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It redistributed the districts to reflect population changes, giving more seats in Parliament to
urban (city) districts
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It changed voting qualifications, which expanded voting rights to middle-class men, allowing
approximately 20% of the population to vote.
Chartists Demand More Political Reform
The Chartist reform movement wanted to gain universal suffrage, or the right to vote for everyone.
However, everyone was simply another term for all male citizens, as women were not part of this
particular push for voting rights. This movement was labeled 'Chartist' because it was based on a
document called The People's Charter drafted by William Lovett in 1838. This text called for the
following demands to be met:
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The right of all men over 21, as long as they weren't insane or criminal, to vote (making working
class men eligible to vote)
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Electoral districts were equally represented
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To end all property requirements in order to run for office in Parliament
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Annual elections
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Voting done in secrecy
After circulating the document, Chartists secured almost 250,000 signatures. However, the House of
Commons still rejected the terms in 1839. And after several Chartist leaders threatened a general
strike, they were arrested. Other Chartists marched on the prison where the men were being held.
Troops guarding the prison opened fire on the Chartists, killing 24 and wounding many others.
The Charter was circulated again, this time gaining three million signatures. The House of Commons
still rejected the terms in 1842 and again in 1848. The Chartists ended their campaign after the third
rejection.
Now, since the Chartists never immediately achieved their goals through their strikes and petitions,
why was this movement important? Well, because the civil unrest and protests from this movement
did eventually influence Parliament to expand voting rights in the Reform Act of 1867, allowing men of
working class origins to vote by eliminating property restrictions. Once the working class had the right
to vote, this paved the way for many other social and economic reforms, so that by the end of 1878,
most of the Chartist demands had been met by the passing of new laws.
Working Conditions and Child Labor
Although the Reform Bill of 1832 failed to provide factory workers with a vote or any political power, the
conditions under which they worked and lived did become a political issue the following year. A member
of the House of Commons, Michael Sadler (1780–1835) held hearings in 1832 to highlight the working
conditions of children in particular. Even though he lost an election and was no longer a member of
Parliament, he published the results of his hearings in 1833 anyway. The published report included the
testimony of child factory workers, who told of long hours, low pay, and dangerous working conditions,
especially in textile mills.
The Sadler Report caused a public outcry. Some of Sadler’s critics faulted him for asking leading
questions phrased in a way to elicit the sort of answers he wanted to hear. Sadler's supporters, on the
other hand, focused on the fact that children worked for twelve or more hours a day with little rest and
barely enough time to eat. And while some factories might have adopted more humane policies, many
others were guilty of abusing children, just as Sadler documented. For decades afterward, the testimony
of these young workers would be cited as an illustration of how greedy factory owners exploited
children. Even though Sadler no longer had a seat in Parliament, his report helped pave the way to
legislation (laws) that regulated the conditions under which factories could employ children.
Lord Ashley (Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1801–1885), a British Parliamentarian, was instrumental in
persuading Parliament to pass the Factory Act of 1833, which set standards for employment of children
in textile factories. His support for this act was grounded in Sadler’s report. The act required that
children aged thirteen to eighteen could not be employed more than twelve hours a day, during which
ninety minutes had to be allowed for meal breaks. Younger children, aged nine through twelve, could
only work for nine hours a day, and no child could work between 8:30 P.M. and 5:30 A.M.
This act was bitterly opposed by many factory owners, but other acts followed that imposed even more
regulations on the working conditions in factories. The Coal Mines Act of 1842 prohibited the
employment of women and boys younger than 10 from working in mines. As decades followed, workers
pressed for more rights and safety conditions in factories to be improved. Later Factory Acts limited the
working hours of children and women to a 10 hour day maximum and ordered that factory owners
fence machines to improve safety in order to prevent accidents. The Education Act of 1870 required
that all towns to make primary education be available to all children between the ages of 5- 13. By 1874,
5,000 new schools were built in Britain. Parents still had to pay for education for their children, but low
income students could get government assistance. The Education Act of 1880 made school compulsory
(required) for all children up to age 10 and in 1891 it was made free.
Trade Unions
One of the most influential and lasting means by which workers tried to improve their lives was the
trade union. The essential idea of unions was that while a single worker had no influence over a
factory owner—one worker could easily be dismissed and replaced by another—all of the factory's
workers acting together could unite and disrupt a factory's smooth operation by refusing to work
unless their demands were met.
In response to early efforts by workers to unionize for better pay, hours, or working conditions, England
passed laws as early as 1799, called the Combination Acts, that outlawed such worker associations and
unions. In 1817 Parliament passed the Gagging Acts, which outlawed meetings of more than fifty
people, and in 1819 Parliament passed a series of laws aimed against popular discontent. The acts of
1819 banned meetings for purposes of training (as for a popular militia, for example) and increased the
penalties for speeches or articles thought to be blasphemous (against religion) or seditious
(antigovernment or laws). Organizing labor unions often fell into these categories.
Despite restrictions, workers still attempted to form unions. In 1824, amidst growing concerns about
worker revolts, the British Parliament legalized trade unions, but it still remained illegal to strike. In the
next 50 years, union membership expanded tremendously, despite a lack of government support and
employer efforts to limit their growth. In 1870, British unions finally won the right to strike, without
being held legally liable for the financial damage inflicted on employers. Through labor unions, workers
were able to join together and negotiate with their specific employers for improved working conditions,
pay, and hours. In 1900, union members and socialists formed a new political party in Britain called the
Labour Party. This Labour Party and its union supporters pressured Parliament to pass various social
welfare laws to protect the well-being of the poor and disadvantaged. Examples of such laws include
the Old Age Pension Act of 1908 which provided low income workers with retirement pay of 5
shillings/week, and the National Insurance Act of 1911 which provided workers with accident, health,
and unemployment insurance.
Article Citation:
Cappine, Patricia. "The British Reform Movement: Social, Political & Economic Reforms." Education
Portal. Education Portal, Aug. 2011. Web. 5 Jan. 2015.
British Reform Movement
As you read the article take notes on:

What specific reforms (changes) were made in the areas of urban reforms, Parliamentary
reforms, Chartist reforms, working conditions and child labor, and trade unions.
o Cite the names of specific laws, their relevant dates, and the changes called for by the
laws
Reasons why
reforms were
finally made:
Urban
reforms
Parliamentary
Reforms
Chartist
reforms
What Chartists wanted (goals):
*
*
*
*
*
How Chartists attempted to get these goals met/actions they took:
Reform Act of 1867:
Working
Conditions
and Child
Labor
Reforms
Trade Unions
Parliaments Anti-union laws
 1799- Combination Acts=
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1817- Gagging Acts=
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1819 laws=
Victories for unions
1824=
1870=
Labour Party- what groups of people supported this political party?
What are two laws the Labour Party was able to get passed to help workers?
*
*