Calls for reform and the 1832 Great Reform Act
I can explain why the Great Reform Act was introduced in 1832 and assess its impact on representation for industrial workers.
Calls for reform and the 1832 Great Reform Act
I can explain why the Great Reform Act was introduced in 1832 and assess its impact on representation for industrial workers.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Britain's unreformed parliament represented industrial workers poorly.
- The Whig government of Earl Grey and the Birmingham Political Union (BPU) helped bring about the 1832 Great Reform Act.
- The Great Reform Act expanded the franchise and gave representation to industrial towns.
- Despite the Great Reform Act, only one in five men could vote after 1832.
- Rules around being an MP were not changed by the Reform Act and remained a barrier to industrial workers representation.
Keywords
Franchise - the franchise refers to the group of people who can vote in a country's elections
Constituencies - the individual areas of a country that elect someone to represent them in Parliament are called constituencies
Disproportionate - something may be described as disproportionate if it is too large or small in comparison to something else
Rotten borough - a rotten borough was a constituency which elected an MP despite having very few voters
Representation - representation is the act of speaking or doing something officially for another person
Common misconception
Most campaigners for reform like the BPU wanted all adults in Britain to be enfranchised.
The BPU campaigned for tax-paying males to be enfranchised, which would have continued to exclude many poor workers as well as women.
To help you plan your year 9 history lesson on: Calls for reform and the 1832 Great Reform Act, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 9 history lesson on: Calls for reform and the 1832 Great Reform Act, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
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The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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Explore more key stage 3 history lessons from the The Industrial Revolution: did industrialisation revolutionise people's lives? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
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Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
6 Questions
areas that elect someone to represent them in Parliament
the group of people who can vote in a country's elections
a system where all adults can vote