Poor Man's Guardian, no. 72, 27 (October 1832) - what are the political stakes linked to the Reform Act and how can we understand the place of the media in the organization of power in the United Kingdom during this period?

Extract

[...] For example, the proposed document is an extract from the British newspaper The Poor Man's Guardian published on 27 October 1832. In this extract, whose signatory is unknown, there is an editorial by an individual who seeks to explain what is at stake in the Reform Act and why, according to him, this bill does not aim to help the people. Thus, what are the political stakes linked to the Reform Act and how can we understand the place of the media in the organisation of power in the United Kingdom during this period? [...]

[...] Poor Man's Guardian, no (October 1832) - what are the political stakes linked to the Reform Act and how can we understand the place of the media in the organization of power in the United Kingdom during this period? The Representation of the People Act 1832 brought about important changes in the exchange between British institutions during the 19th century and allowed for the disappearance of small districts or access to the right to vote for a certain number of individuals such as small landowners. [...]

[...] We can therefore see, by studying this document, that there is a certain freedom of the press in this country that is not necessarily found in other European countries at that time. Ultimately, therefore, it can be concluded that the study of the document allows us to better understand both the political stakes of the implementation of the Reform Act, and in particular its effects on democracy in the United Kingdom, but also to better understand the influence and place of the media, and in particular newspapers, in the nineteenth century in the UK. [...]

[...] It can be seen from the document that these are the two largest parties in the country, and that it seems that these political parties are not necessarily a representation of the different social groups within the country, but rather a division within the British aristocratic class. In this context, the study of this paper allows us to better understand how the British political class is divided politically. The author of the document offers a violent diatribe against the Whigs for not wanting real institutional reform. [...]

[...] Thus, what are the political stakes linked to the Reform Act and how can we understand the place of the media in the organization of power in the United Kingdom during this period? The first part will be an opportunity to come back to the issues at stake in the Act presented, the second part will look at the way in which the extract can be used to show the political debates of the time, and the third part could allow us to come back to the question of the influence of the media during the period studied. [...]