Radicals (UK): Difference between revisions

The '''Radicals''' were a loose parliamentary political grouping in [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Great Britain and Ireland]] in the early to mid-19th century who drew on earlier ideas of [[radicalism (historical)|radicalism]] and helped to transform the [[Whigs (British political party)|Whigs]] into the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]].

 

=== Early Radicals ===

The [[Radicalism (historical)|Radical]] movement arose in the late 18th century to support parliamentary reform, with additional aims including lower taxes and the abolition of [[sinecures]].<ref>Evans 2000, pp. 10, 98.</ref> [[John Wilkes]]'s reformist efforts in the 1760s as editor of ''[[The North Briton]]'' and MP were seen as radical at the time, but support dropped away after the [[Massacre of St George's Fields]] in 1768. Working class and middle class "Popular Radicals" agitated to demand the right to vote and assert other rights including freedom of the press and relief from economic distress, while "[[Philosophical Radicals|Philosophic Radicals]]" strongly supported parliamentary reform, but were generally hostile to the arguments and tactics of the Popular Radicals. However, the term "Radical" itself, as opposed to "reformer" or "Radical Reformer", only emerged in 1819 during the upsurge of protest following the successful conclusion of the Napoleonic War.<ref>[[Élie Halévy]], ''The Liberal Awakening'' (London 1961) pp. 67–68.</ref> [[Henry Hunt (politician)|Henry "Orator" Hunt]] was the main speaker at the Manchester meeting in 1819 that ended in the [[Peterloo Massacre]]; Hunt was elected MP for the [[Preston (UK Parliament constituency)|Preston]] division in 1830–1832. The "root and branch" of the reforms which the adjective radical suggests, and at the time still strongly in concept denoted by reference to all its previous main uses, is the [[British constitution]], which is not codified or restricted to particular customs, laws or documents.