Justification of the Corn Laws Essay -- Politics History Political

Justification of the Corn Laws The Corn Law was a potentially dangerous bill introduced in 1815 after three years of good harvests. It was instigated with the support of Lord Liverpool the current Prime Minister who saw the Corn Laws as a temporary measure to create stability in the agricultural sector in the immediate post-war years. The Corn Laws were potentially disastrous because they, along with the abolishment of Income tax and the creation of the Game laws, were seen as a return by the ultra-Tory's to a single-issue, single class government. That issue being the wants and needs of the landed classes. I believe that the Corn Laws led large groups of the urbanised population to become unreasonably politicised in their demands to parliament. The catalyst for these potentially revolutionary actions being the starvation of the working classes - the Corn Laws. Lord Liverpool's justification for the Corn Laws was the appalling state of agriculture in England in the post war period. England faced a unique set of financial and economic problems bought about by the end of the war. The harvest of 1813, 14 and 15 were extremely good leading to a fall in prices by almost half. The end of trade sanctions after the end of the Napoleonic Wars flooded the British market with cheaper corn that made British Corn uncompetitive. Agriculture still exceeded manufacturing as the country's largest single economic interest. Therefore the Corn Laws were justifiable in this sense because they still supported the largest single category of labour provider. But while choosing to secure one social group Liverpool and his cabinet had provided immedia... ...for a slim chance of economic recovery in a single sector of the country's economy-agriculture. The British Government had decided to choke one group of citizens, the urban based working classes, to create a wealthier group of large land owners-ironically the largest group of MP's. In my eyes protecting no part of the economy would have been the best idea. No economic area would flourish but neither would any industry be choked. A free market mentality would be painful but would result in more efficient techniques in manufacturing and agriculture. All the Corn Laws seemed to do was underline the injustices that were allowed to happen because of the lack of universal suffrage. It also highlighted how inward looking and self centred the Ultra-Tory's were as well as highlighting urban electoral under representation.