Tamworth Manifesto

Tamworth Manifesto

The Tamworth Manifesto was a political manifesto issued by Sir Robert Peel in 1834 in Tamworth, which is widely credited by historians as having laid down the principles upon which the modern British Conservative Party is based.

In November 1834, King William IV removed the Whig Prime Minister Lord Melbourne and asked the Duke of Wellington to form a ministry. Wellington was reluctant and recommended that the King choose Peel.

Perhaps due to Wellington's endorsement, Peel intended from the start, as the historian S.J Lee tells, "to fully convince the country and electorate that there was a substantial difference between his brand of conservatism and that of his predecessor and 'old tory' Wellington."

With that in mind, on 18 December, the Tamworth Manifesto was published by the press and read around the country. Like many other manifestos in nineteenth-century British politics, it was formally an address to the electors of the leader's own constituency, but reproduced widely. Ironically, Tamworth had no contest in 1834 as Peel was the only candidate and he was elected unopposed.

Salomon's Aims dictated in the Tamworth Manifesto

The main aim of the manifesto was to appeal to the electorate in the new Parliament.

* Peel accepted that the Reform Act of 1832 was "a final and irrevocable settlement of a great constitutional question".

* He promised that the Conservatives would undertake a "careful review of institutions, civil and ecclesiastical".

* Where there was a case for change, he promised "the correction of proved abuses and the redress of real grievances".

* Peel offered to look at the question of church reform in order to preserve the "true interests of the Established religion".

* Peel's basic message, therefore, was that the Conservatives "would reform to survive" (with reference to Norman Gash's biography of Peel).

* However, he opposed what he saw as unnecessary change, fearing "a perpetual vortex of agitation"

ee also

at Wikisource.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Tamworth — Infobox UK place country = England official name= Tamworth latitude= 52.633 longitude= 1.695 civil parish= population = EnglishDistrictPopulation|ONS=41UK (English statistics year) (Ranked EnglishDistrictRank|ONS=41UK) population density= Pop… …   Wikipedia

  • Manifesto — For other uses, see Manifesto (disambiguation). A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature. Manifestos relating to religious belief are generally referred to as creeds. Manifestos may also be life… …   Wikipedia

  • Robert Peel — Infobox Prime Minister honorific prefix = The Right Honourable name =Sir Robert Peel, Bt order =Prime Minister of the United Kingdom term start =30 August 1841 term end =29 June 1846 monarch =Victoria predecessor =The Viscount Melbourne successor …   Wikipedia

  • Tories (political faction) — The Tories were any of a series of political factions that existed in the Kingdom of Great Britain and later the United Kingdom, having its roots in the 17th century. The faction was founded during 1678 in the Kingdom of England, when they… …   Wikipedia

  • Derby Dilly — The Derby Dilly was a name given to a group of dissident Whigs and others in the United Kingdom led by the former Cabinet minister Edward, Lord Stanley, who would later become 14th Earl of Derby. Stanley had resigned from the cabinet of Lord Grey …   Wikipedia

  • Conservatism — This article is about conservatism as a political and social philosophy. For other uses, see Conservatism (disambiguation). Part of a series on …   Wikipedia

  • Prime Minister of the United Kingdom — Infobox minister office border = parliamentary minister = prime title = Prime Minister jurisdiction = the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland incumbent = Gordon Brown tookoffice = 27 June 2007 appointed by = Elizabeth II monarch …   Wikipedia

  • Politics of the United Kingdom — The politics of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland takes place in the framework of a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is head of state and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government.… …   Wikipedia

  • Conservative Party (UK) — Conservative Party Conservative and Unionist Party Leader …   Wikipedia

  • Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby — Edward Smith Stanley redirects here; for other persons with that name, see Edward Stanley, Lord Stanley Infobox Prime Minister name =The Earl of Derby order =Prime Minister of the United Kingdom term start =28 June 1866 term end =27 February 1868 …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”