Anti–Corn Law League facts for kids

The Anti–Corn Law League was a successful political group in Great Britain. Its main goal was to get rid of the unpopular Corn Laws. These laws made imported wheat expensive, which raised the price of bread. This happened at a time when factory owners wanted to pay their workers less.

The League was a nationwide group made up mostly of middle-class people. They held many large meetings. They believed they needed to convince the government to cancel the Corn Laws. The League also wanted to get rid of old-fashioned rules that they felt stopped progress, hurt the economy, and limited freedom.

Even though the League was very active, it didn't play the biggest role in the final decision in 1846. That's when Sir Robert Peel successfully led the effort to repeal the laws. However, the League's way of organizing became a model for other political groups in Britain and other democratic countries. It showed how a group could gain popular support and pressure the government.

What were the Corn Laws?

The Corn Laws were taxes on grain imported from other countries. They were first put in place in 1815. These laws made food prices higher. This made many city dwellers, who had less political power than people in the countryside, very angry.

At first, the Corn Laws completely stopped foreign grain from being imported if its price was below a certain level. Later, in 1828, a system was introduced where the tax changed based on the price. But these import taxes still made it very costly to bring in grain from other countries, even when there wasn't enough food.

The Anti–Corn Law League helped change what both the public and important leaders thought about these laws. It was a large, nationwide movement with a big vision. One of its main leaders, Richard Cobden, believed that getting rid of the Corn Laws would solve four major problems:

• It would help manufacturers by giving them more places to sell their products.
• It would make food cheaper and provide more steady jobs, helping people who were struggling.
• It would make farming in England better by increasing the demand for local products in cities.
• It would bring about a new time of international friendship and peace through fair trade between countries.

Cobden believed the only thing stopping these good changes was the selfishness of landowners. He called them the "bread-taxing oligarchy" who were "unprincipled, unfeeling, greedy and plundering."

How the League Worked

The first Anti–Corn Law Association started in London in 1836. But the larger, nationwide League, which brought together all the local groups, was formed in 1838. Richard Cobden and John Bright were among its most important leaders. Cobden was the main planner, while Bright was a fantastic speaker.

A key activist was Thomas Perronet Thompson. He was great at getting people involved at a local level. He did this through pamphlets, newspaper articles, letters, speeches, and many local meetings. The League was based in Manchester and received support from many factory owners, especially those in the textile industry.

The League used many methods first used by British groups fighting against slavery. They also tried to show that their cause was a moral reform. They held emotional meetings and handed out well-argued pamphlets. In 1843 alone, they gave out nine million pamphlets, with a staff of 800 people.

The League also used its money and campaign resources to try and defeat politicians who supported the Corn Laws. They did this by helping their supporters get the right to vote. This worried the Tories, a major political party. One of their most visible efforts was in the 1843 election in Salisbury. However, their candidate lost, and they couldn't convince enough voters about free trade.

The League learned from these experiences and changed its political tactics. They started to focus on elections where they had a good chance of winning.

Still, the League couldn't win many elections directly. Its main role in 1846 was to create a strong public opinion against the Corn Laws. In 1845, Lord John Russell, the leader of the Whig party, said that the Corn Laws should be completely removed to satisfy the League. Sir Robert Peel, the Tory leader, had also been convinced by Cobden's arguments. When the time came, Peel passed the repeal of the Corn Laws through Parliament without needing a new election. Cobden and Bright were very happy.

After the Corn Laws were repealed, the League prepared to close down. However, when the Tories won the election in 1852, there were plans to restart the League. This was to keep an eye on groups that still wanted to protect local farming. It was only after Benjamin Disraeli's budget in 1852 that Cobden felt the fight was truly over. He wrote to George Wilson: "The Budget has finally closed the controversy with Protection... The League may be dissolved when you like." Many former members of the League continued their political work in the Liberal Party. Their goal was to create a fully free-trade economy.

Historian W.H. Chaloner says that the repeal in 1846 was a huge turning point. It made free trade the main policy in Britain for a long time. It also showed the power of industrial businesses over farming interests. He notes that the repeal helped keep wheat prices stable in the 1850s and 1860s.

A Model for Other Groups

The Anti–Corn Law League was the first powerful national lobbying group in politics. It had a central office, a clear goal, lots of money, strong local and national organization, and dedicated leaders. It even helped elect people to Parliament. Many of its methods were new, while others were borrowed from the anti-slavery movement. It became a model for many other reform movements that followed.

The League's model led to the creation of the Lancashire Public School Association. This group campaigned for free, locally funded, and non-religious education in Lancashire. It later became the National Public-School Association. This group didn't have much success because national non-religious education was a topic that divided even radical groups. However, it did help change the Liberal Party's ideas from a "hands-off" approach to one that was more involved in society.

Historian A. C. Howe explains:

• Even though historians disagree on how much the League influenced Peel's decision to get rid of the Corn Laws, it was clearly one of the most successful groups of its kind in the 1800s.
• It was amazing at creating excitement, getting support, and raising a lot of money.
• It showed how a middle-class group outside of Parliament could change politics to fit the goals of determined business-minded politicians.

The League remained a model for many different pressure groups. For example, the United Kingdom Alliance, the National Educational League, the Navy League, and the Tenant League in Ireland. It also inspired groups focused on free trade, like the Edwardian Tariff Reform League. In the 1950s, S. W. Alexander's Anti-Dear Food League also followed its example. The League also inspired similar groups in France, Germany, Spain, and the United States. The League only temporarily changed how Parliament worked. But it helped create a strong popular belief in free trade in Britain that lasted well into the 1900s.

Critics

Not everyone supported the Anti–Corn Law League.

• Thomas Carlyle, a famous writer, did not want to support the League. Even though he was against the Corn Laws, he wrote in 1840 that getting rid of them seemed to help the middle classes and factory owners more than the lower classes. He believed that the lower classes' difficult situation might get a little better for a few years, but it wouldn't truly be solved by repealing the Corn Laws.
• R. S. Surtees made fun of the League in his 1845 novel, Hillingdon Hall. One character in the book calls the League's methods "humbug." Another character, an actor paid to lecture for the League, is told: "you have nothing to do but repeat the same old story over and over again…. Whatever is wrong, lay it to the corn tax. If a man can’t pay his Christmas bills, attribute it to the bread tax."

See Also

• Manchester Liberalism
• Canada Corn Act
• Meat riots