Study Guides

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils learn about the changes to life brought about by the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions. They learn about calls for political reform and how this led to the 1832 Great Reform Act. Pupils end the unit by considering how much the Industrial Revolution changed people's lives.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain why there were increasing demands for reform after 1815 and how government fear about this led to the Peterloo Massacre.

Key Notes

• The Corn Laws were introduced in 1815 to keep the price of wheat high by putting tariffs on foreign imports.
• The Corn Laws meant many poor people could no longer afford bread.
• The government ignored industrial workers who had no right to vote, which increased calls for universal suffrage.
• Tens of thousands of industrial workers gathered at St Peter's Field in Manchester in 1819 to peacefully protest.
• The local yeomanry attacked protestors at St Peter's Field, killing 16, this became known as 'the Peterloo Massacre'.

Vocabulary To Learn

• tariff: a tariff is a tax to be paid on goods purchased from abroad
• universal suffrage: universal suffrage describes a system where all adults can vote
• radical: a person who supports the idea that there should be big social and political changes is known as a radical
• reactionary: a person who opposes political or social progress and reform is known as a reactionary
• yeomanry: yeomanry are local volunteer soldiers

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• Radicals encouraged the use of violence to solve the problems that industrial workers faced.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

More Lessons In This Unit

• Calls for reform and the 1832 Great Reform Act Study Guide
• Inventions of the Industrial Revolution Study Guide
• The Agricultural Revolution Study Guide
• The Industrial Revolution and change in Britain Study Guide
• The Industrial Revolution and urban migration Study Guide