February 24 Gladstone, Disraeli, and high Victorian politics
I. Victorian social consensus
-economic prosperity
-philanthropy
-culture of self-reliance and deference
-an emerging welfare state
II. party politics at mid century
A. political parties
Conservatives: Derby and Disraeli
Liberals: Whigs, Peelites, radicals, middle-class commercial and industrial men; Palmerston, then Gladstone
B. Gladstone vs. Disraeli?
the role of government in society
rivalry
C. reform
the Reform Union (1864) and the Reform League (1865)
working-class respectability
Reform Bill of 1866
1867 Reform Act
-fancy franchises dropped
-enlarged electorate
-redistribution of seats
III. the origins of the welfare state
welfare state defined
Gladstone's Great Ministry (1868-1874)
-made institutions more efficient and fair
-extended liberty and toleration
-expanded the role of govt in society [>]
| 1869 | disestablishment of the Church of Ireland |
| 1870 | >Irish Land Act: guaranteed Irish tenant farmers fair compensation for improvements and empowering courts to revise exorbitant rents |
| >Education Act: created a national system of elementary education | |
| >Merchant Marine Act: insisted on ship safety | |
| civil service reform: all positions to be filled on the basis of competitive examination | |
| army reform: ended the purchasing system; reduced the size of the standing army; introduced short-term enlistments; established a reserve force | |
| 1871 | >Local Government Act: consolidated and expanded the principal central agencies that supervised local government into a powerful Local Government Board to superintend local boards of health and poor law unions |
| Trade Union Act: reaffirmed the right of workers to organize unions | |
| removed religious restrictions on students and fellows at Oxford and Cambridge | |
| 1872 | Ballot Act: introduced the secret ballot |
| >Licensing Act: restricted the sale of alcohol | |
| 1873 | Judicature Act: reorganized and reformed the court system, establishing three levels of courts |
Disraeli's Crystal Palace speech (1872)
Tory democracy (1874-1880)
| 1875 | Public Health Act: strengthened and codified earlier legislation relating to urban water, sewage, and drainage |
| Artisans' Dwellings Act: authorized local governments to initiate programs of slum clearance and public housing | |
| Trade Union Act: repealed the prohibition of peaceful picketing in labor disputes; legalized collective bargaining between labor and management | |
| Pure Foods Acts / Food and Drug Act: regulated food and drugs | |
| 1876 | acts for cleansing of polluted rivers, increased safety of merchant ships, and compulsory education |
| 1878 | Factory and Workshop Acts: revised and codified earlier legislation related to hours of work and conditions of labor |
