Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

12-1992

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

History

Major Professor

John Bohstedt

Committee Members

Paul Pinckney, Bruce Wheeler, Bob Leggett

Abstract

In 1812 citizens throughout Britain petitioned Parliament for a repeal of the Orders-in-Council, trade restrictions aimed against Napoleon's continental empire. A deepening trade depression led the petitioners to argue that the Orders must be abandoned, despite the government's support for them. The clamor for change forced the government to relent and on 23 June 1812 the measures were repealed.

This work examines the petitioning campaign undertaken in the provinces in 1812. Specifically, it explores the process of petitioning and political mobilization, the mechanisms used in gathering support and the networks and relationships which were an intricate part of the capacity of communities to respond. The work focuses on Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester. While these cities displayed a high degree of political awareness and popular political participation, each responded to the repeal campaign differently. Their varying responses stemmed from the sources of political mobilization and longstanding local conflicts. The repeal campaign involved complex local rituals and resulted in the mobilization of intricate community-wide social, political, religious, and economic networks. This campaign demonstrates the importance of petitioning in popular politics and also emphasizes the role of political mobilization in community political life.

This study also examines politics at Westminster and the role of the repeal campaign in the political transformation already underway by 1812. The adoption of the successful repeal campaign by the Whigs shows a shift was underway from inchoate political factions to national political parties. Not only did the Whigs demonstrate the power of popular politics in undermining governmental policy, but by adopting a campaign favored by many merchants and manufacturers, the Whigs were developing a middle class constituency crucial to their victories in later decades.

Finally, the study examines the role of the provincial press in the process of political mobilization. This study strongly challenges the long-held assumption that the provincial press lacked the power to influence community opinion. Editors disseminated knowledge and also took a very active part in mobilizing the local populace. The provincial press along with community networks helped to create the awareness and politicization transforming Britain in the decades before the Reform Bill of 1832.

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