Edexcel A-Level History 9HI0
The Crusades, c1095–1204Paper 1
England, 1509–1603: Authority, Nation and ReligionPaper 1
Britain, 1625–1701: Conflict, Revolution and SettlementPaper 1
Britain, c1785–c1870: Democracy, Protest and ReformPaper 1
Russia, 1917–91: From Lenin to YeltsinPaper 1
In Search of the American Dream: The USA, c1917–96Paper 1
Germany and West Germany, 1918–89Paper 1
Britain Transformed, 1918–97Paper 1
Anglo-Saxon England and the Anglo-Norman Kingdom, c1053–1106Paper 2
England and the Angevin Empire in the Reign of Henry II, 1154–89Paper 2
Luther and the German Reformation, c1515–55Paper 2
The Dutch Revolt, c1563–1609Paper 2
France in Revolution, 1774–99Paper 2
Russia in Revolution, 1894–1924Paper 2
The Unification of Italy, c1830–70Paper 2
The Unification of Germany, c1840–71Paper 2
Mao’s China, 1949–76Paper 2
The German Democratic Republic, 1949–90Paper 2
India, c1914–48: The Road to IndependencePaper 2
South Africa, 1948–94: From Apartheid State to ‘Rainbow Nation’Paper 2
The Rise and Fall of Fascism in Italy, c1911–46Paper 2
Spain, 1930–78: Republicanism, Francoism and the Re-Establishment of DemocracyPaper 2
The USA, c1920–55: Boom, Bust and RecoveryPaper 2
The USA, 1955–92: Conformity and ChallengePaper 2
Lancastrians, Yorkists and Henry VII, 1399–1509Paper 3
Rebellion and Disorder Under the Tudors, 1485–1603Paper 3
The Golden Age of Spain, 1474–1598Paper 3
The Witch Craze in Britain, Europe and North America, c1580–c1750Paper 3
Industrialisation and Social Change in Britain, 1759–1928: Forging a New SocietyPaper 3
Poverty, Public Health and the State in Britain, c1780–1939Paper 3
Britain: Losing and Gaining an Empire, 1763–1914Paper 3
The British Experience of Warfare, c1790–1918Paper 3
Protest, Agitation and Parliamentary Reform in Britain, c1780–1928Paper 3
Ireland and the Union, c1774–1923Paper 3
The Changing Nature of Warfare, 1859–1991: Perception and RealityPaper 3
Germany, 1871–1990: United, Divided and ReunitedPaper 3
The Making of Modern Russia, 1855–1991Paper 3
The Making of Modern China, 1860–1997Paper 3
Civil Rights and Race Relations in the USA, 1850–2009Paper 3
Mass Media and Social Change in Britain, 1882–2004Paper 3
Britain, c1785–c1870: Democracy, Protest and Reform
- 16 subtopics
- 46 things to know
- Paper 1
- Paper 1 breadth option, chosen from eight
What Britain, c1785–c1870: Democracy, Protest and Reform covers
A Paper 1 breadth study of Britain from the eve of the French Revolution to the second Reform Act, covering the growth of parliamentary democracy, the industrial economy and the protest it produced, trade unionism and cooperation, and the reform of the Poor Law. The historical interpretations section asks why the slave trade and slavery were abolished.
Where it is assessed
Paper 1
Breadth study with interpretations, one option of eight.
Check the Pearson Edexcel specification ↗The 16 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- The unreformed parliament and its critics, c1785–1820Recall questions on who could vote, rotten and pocket boroughs, open voting at the hustings, the early radical critics, and what the manufacturing interest wanted.Open →
- Pressure for change and reform, 1820–52Recall questions on Peterloo and the Six Acts, post-war distress, why the Whigs took up reform, what the 1832 Act did, and why working men felt betrayed.Open →
- Further parliamentary reform, 1852–70Recall questions on the Reform League and the middle-class National Reform Union, changing views of the working-class voter, Disraeli's 1867 Act, and who it enfranchised.Open →
- The impact of industrialisationRecall questions on banking and investment, the industrial middle class, regional diversity, urban growth, government attitudes, and the coming of the railways.Open →
- Working conditions in factories, mines and foundriesRecall questions on hours and factory discipline, the dangers of machinery, child and female labour, back-to-back housing, and the life expectancy figures.Open →
- Industrialisation, protest and reformRecall questions on Luddism and the Swing Riots, how protest changed after 1830, the Ten Hour Movement, and the arguments made against factory legislation.Open →
- Unions and their opponents, c1785–1834Recall questions on trade societies and knobsticks, the Combination Acts and their repeal, the Tolpuddle Martyrs, and why the early general unions collapsed.Open →
- New model unionism 1835–70Recall questions on the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, high subscriptions and friendly benefits, the Junta, the Sheffield Outrages, and the founding of the TUC.Open →
- The growth of cooperative activitiesRecall questions on Owen at New Lanark, his wider communal schemes, the Rochdale Pioneers and the dividend, and the scale of the friendly societies.Open →
- The old Poor Law and pressure for changeRecall questions on how parish relief worked, Speenhamland and the Roundsman system, utilitarian argument, and the financial pressure on ratepayers.Open →
- The Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 and its effectsRecall questions on unions and guardians, the workhouse regime, less eligibility, why outdoor relief continued, and the opposition in the north.Open →
- Changing attitudes towards the poor, 1834-70Recall questions on the Andover scandal, the Charity Organisation Society, Samuel Smiles and self-help, and what Mayhew and Dickens showed the public.Open →
- Humanitarian campaigns and the influence of religionRecall questions on the Quakers and the Evangelicals, mass petitioning and the sugar boycott, women's associations, and the shift to immediate emancipation.Open →
- Economic and financial factors in abolitionRecall questions on Adam Smith's argument, the Williams thesis and Drescher's reply, the weakening West Indian interest, and the cost of compensation and suppression.Open →
- Clarkson, Wilberforce and EquianoRecall questions on how Clarkson gathered his evidence, Wilberforce in the Commons, Equiano's narrative, Granville Sharp, and the Zong case.Open →
- The changing political climateRecall questions on the Haitian Revolution, Bussa's rising and Demerara, the Baptist War, the reformed parliament, and the apprenticeship system.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Why did industrial towns grow so fast?
In the struggle over early trade unionism, what was 'the Document'?
Why did the 1848 Chartist demonstration mark a decline of the movement?
Why were the growing industrial towns under-represented before 1832?
What was the London Trades Council and why did it matter?
How did enslaved resistance influence abolition?
What was a 'rotten borough' in the unreformed electoral system?
What economic distress fuelled pressure for reform after 1815?
Which Conservative politician steered the 1867 Reform Act through Parliament?
Why did reform revive in the 1850s and 1860s?
What dangers did factory work involve?
What were living conditions like in the industrial towns?
What were the Swing Riots of 1830?
Who supported factory reform, and why was the coalition unusual?
Who were the Tolpuddle Martyrs?
Who were the Junta?
Who were the Rochdale Pioneers?
What ideas did Robert Owen promote?
What was the Speenhamland system of 1795?
Who was Edwin Chadwick and how was he linked to the Poor Law?
What was the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834?
What was the principle of 'less eligibility'?
What was the Andover workhouse scandal of 1845–46?
What role did charity and self-help play alongside the Poor Law?
Which society was founded in 1787 to campaign against the slave trade?
What role did religious groups play in the movement?
What is the Williams thesis?
What evidence is used against the Williams thesis?
What was William Wilberforce's role in abolition?
How did formerly enslaved people contribute to the campaign?
What was the Demerara rebellion of 1823?
How did the roles of political parties evolve across this period?
What was the Reform League?
How did banking develop with industrialisation?
What were the health consequences of urban conditions?
What was the Grand National Consolidated Trades Union?
What was the Sheffield Outrages?
What was the Cooperative Wholesale Society?
What was the case against Speenhamland?
What was the workhouse 'test'?
Why did the Andover scandal matter politically?
What campaigning methods did the abolitionists pioneer?
How had the West Indian interest weakened by the 1820s?
Who was Granville Sharp?
How did the reformed parliament change the politics of emancipation?
Take Britain, c1785–c1870: Democracy, Protest and Reform further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
A 'rotten borough' in the unreformed electoral system vs A 'pocket borough'
A 'rotten borough' in the unreformed electoral system: a constituency with very few voters that still returned MPs. A 'pocket borough': A constituency where a single patron controlled the choice of member, usually because the electorate was tiny and dependent on him for land or employment.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What was a 'rotten borough' in the unreformed electoral system?
Model answer
A constituency with very few voters that still returned MPs, such as Old Sarum, often controlled by a single patron.
- 2
How did the roles of political parties evolve across this period?
Model answer
The older Whig and Tory groupings developed into more organised Liberal and Conservative parties competing for a widening electorate.
- 3
Who could vote before 1832?
Model answer
In counties, men holding freehold worth forty shillings a year; in boroughs, a chaotic variety of qualifications. Perhaps one adult man in ten had the vote in England and Wales.
- 4
What was a pocket borough?
Model answer
A constituency where a single patron controlled the choice of member, usually because the electorate was tiny and dependent on him for land or employment.
- 5
How were elections conducted before 1872?
Model answer
By open voting at the hustings, so votes were public and voters could be bribed, treated or intimidated by landlords and employers.
- 6
What was the geographical problem with the unreformed system?
Model answer
Seats reflected medieval wealth, so Cornwall returned more members than the whole industrial north, and Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds returned none at all.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Britain, c1785–c1870: Democracy, Protest and Reform revision questions
- What does Britain, c1785–c1870: Democracy, Protest and Reform cover in Edexcel A-Level History?
- 16 subtopics: the unreformed parliament and its critics, c1785–1820, pressure for change and reform, 1820–52, further parliamentary reform, 1852–70, the impact of industrialisation, working conditions in factories, mines and foundries, industrialisation, protest and reform, unions and their opponents, c1785–1834, new model unionism 1835–70, the growth of cooperative activities, the old poor law and pressure for change, the poor law amendment act 1834 and its effects, changing attitudes towards the poor, 1834-70, humanitarian campaigns and the influence of religion, economic and financial factors in abolition, clarkson, wilberforce and equiano and the changing political climate. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Britain, c1785–c1870: Democracy, Protest and Reform organised?
- By the Edexcel 9HI0 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Britain, c1785–c1870: Democracy, Protest and Reform, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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