Britain, c1783–1885 – Economy, society and politics, 1846–1885 (A-level…

The idea

Between 1846 and 1885, Britain faced intense pressure for change from multiple avenues. Social campaigns and Public Health reform, driven by figures like Edwin Chadwick and the cholera epidemics, forced the state to abandon laissez-faire attitudes, culminating in the 1848 and 1875 Public Health Acts. Chartism, though declining after 1848, left a legacy that fuelled renewed pressure for parliamentary reform, ultimately leading to the 1867 Second Reform Act which enfranchised parts of the urban working class. Concurrently, Irish Nationalism intensified; the Fenian movement and later Charles Stewart Parnell's Home Rule League applied significant pressure on Westminster, forcing Gladstone to address Irish land and governance issues.

What earns the marks

• Evaluate the impact of social campaigns and the shift from laissez-faire to state intervention in Public Health, noting the 1875 Act.
• Assess the legacy of Chartism post-1848 and how its underlying grievances contributed to the 1867 Reform Act.
• Analyse the methods and impact of pressure for parliamentary reform, including the Reform League and Reform Union.
• Examine the evolution of Irish Nationalism from Fenian militancy to Parnell's constitutional Home Rule campaign and its disruption of British politics.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Assuming Chartism achieved nothing because the 1848 petition failed.

  Put it right: Acknowledge that while the movement faded, its demands heavily influenced subsequent parliamentary reform campaigns leading to 1867.

• Confusing the 1848 and 1875 Public Health Acts.

  Put it right: Distinguish the 1848 Act as permissive and the 1875 Act as compulsory, marking a definitive shift in state intervention.

• Treating Irish Nationalism as a single uniform movement.

  Put it right: Differentiate between the militant republicanism of the Fenians and the constitutional parliamentary tactics of the Home Rule League.

Exam tips

• Link the pressure for parliamentary reform to the changing socio-economic landscape and the perceived respectability of the working class.
• When discussing Public Health, use specific examples like the Broad Street pump or the Great Stink to illustrate the catalysts for legislative change.
• Compare the effectiveness of extra-parliamentary pressure (like Fenianism) with parliamentary pressure (like Parnell's obstructionism) in achieving political goals.