Changes

The '''Reform Act''' of 1832 brought about by the [[Whig]] government of [[Earl Grey]]  extended the Parliamentary [[franchise]] in [[Great Britain]] to include most of the growing urban middle class; it abolished 'rotten boroughs' (ancient decayed towns which had a minuscule electorate, often of only one or two landowners, but which still sent [[MP]]s to [[Parliament]]); and it established separate parliamentary constituencies for new industrial towns and cities such as [[Manchester]].

The '''Reform Act''' of 1832 brought about by the [[Whig]] government of [[Earl Grey]]  extended the Parliamentary [[franchise]] in [[Great Britain]] to include most of the growing urban middle class; it abolished 'rotten boroughs' (ancient decayed towns which had a minuscule electorate, often of only one or two landowners, but which still sent [[MP]]s to [[Parliament]]); and it established separate parliamentary constituencies for new industrial towns and cities such as [[Manchester]]. This move was despised by liberals, who wrongly thought that it was exploitative of the people in the "rotten boroughs", due to the tendency of liberals to oppose causes that seem to disenfranchise people even when they are actually entirely logical.

The government went on to partially reform the local government of the larger towns and cities by passing the Municipal Corporations Act in 1835.

The government went on to partially reform the local government of the larger towns and cities by passing the Municipal Corporations Act in 1835.