Political unions, popular politics, and the Great Reform Act of 1832

the long version

This book is the first on the creation, development and influence of popular politics, specifically the role of Political Unions in the Great Reform Act of 1832. Political Unions and the force of public opinion played a vital role in seeing the Reform Bill through Parliament and setting England on the path of peaceful, legislative reform. They were significant in stiffening government and parliamentary support for the Bill, serving as a powerful reminder of the dangers of ignoring public opinion and demonstrating the moral and political determination of the people to eliminate corruption and privilege in British politics. They connected the ideological premises behind and the tactics pursued to achieve radical and constitutional reform with a view to reforming rule by an aristocratic oligarchy into a system which required a much broader base. As a result, the Unions were an important part of both the Reform Act's passage and the later development of popular political action in the nineteenth century.