Use Your Own Knowledge to Assess How Far the Sources Support the Interpretation That the Reforms of 1868-74 Were Designed to Satisfy Interest Groups Which Supported the Liberal Party.

1176 Words5 Pages
Use your own knowledge to assess how far the Sources support the interpretation that the reforms of 1868-74 were designed to satisfy interest groups which supported the Liberal Party. From 1868 to 1874 Gladstone introduced a number of reforms, some of which are considered to have been designed to satisfy interest groups which supported the Liberal Party and therefore maintain their votes. Sources A, B and D largely support this interpretation, whereas Sources C and E oppose it. Source A supports the statement by commenting on the reasons for the Disestablishment of the Irish Church in 1869; the writer, Matthew Arnold, implies that the Act was only introduced to satisfy the Non-Conformists as he states that the Disestablishment of the Irish Church was not for ‘the power of reason and justice but by the power of the Non-conformists hatred of Church establishments.’ This source is supported by the fact that Non-conformists made up 50 percent of the population, therefore it would have been one of Gladstone’s main motives for the act as it would have increased his support base dramatically. The source portrays that the Irish Church Disestablishment Act was not beneficial for the Irish, however the Act discontinued the payment of tithe, taxes which were paid to the Church, to services they did not use; this benefited the Irish as it meant money could be used on more favourable things, such as schools and hospitals. It can be argued that the source is reliable due to the fact that it was published the same year as the Act so it depicts the immediate response; the source also has a non-political tone which makes it reliable as it isn’t persuasive. However, this is disregarded as it is written by ‘an influential social writer, poet and critic of his age’ this makes the source highly unreliable as it is an opinion published to persuade the public to support the writers’
Open Document