# Canonical recap data for British General Election (1832)
# Source: https://recap.at/1832/1832-reform-election
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: 1832-reform-election
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1832/1832-reform-election"
title: British General Election
aliases:
- 1832 UK General Election
- First Reformed Parliament Election
- Earl Grey's Victory
subtitle: The first election following the Great Reform Act expanded the franchise and marked Britain's shift toward democratic representation, setting a precedent for parliamentary reform worldwide.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1832-12-10
endDate: 1833-01-08
datePrecision: day
year: 1832
decade: 1830
country:
name: United Kingdom
slug: united-kingdom
summaryShort: The 1832 United Kingdom general election was held on 8 December 1832 to 8 January 1833. The first election to be held in the newly-reformed House of Commons, the Whigs under Earl Grey won a landslide victory with a majority of 224 seats.
summaryLong: The 1832 United Kingdom general election was held on 8 December 1832 to 8 January 1833. The first election to be held in the newly-reformed House of Commons, the Whigs under Earl Grey won a landslide victory with a majority of 224 seats.
lede: In December 1832, British voters went to the polls following the passage of the Reform Act earlier that year—a watershed moment that expanded the electorate and redrew parliamentary districts. The Whig Party, led by Earl Grey, won decisively with a majority of 224 seats., cementing support for the reforms that had just reshaped the political system itself.
heroImageUrl: "https://live.staticflickr.com/8606/28171909182_2305839962_b.jpg"
heroImageCredit: "\"Official Strike Bulletin No. 1\" by Queensland State Archives is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/."
importance: 88
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Polling period
  value: 8 December 1832 to 8 January 1833
- label: Whig majority
  value: 224 seats
- label: Prime Minister
  value: Earl Grey
- label: Reform Act passage
  value: 7 June 1832
- label: Expanded electorate size
  value: Approximately 650,000 voters (from ~400,000 previously)
- label: Redistricting impact
  value: 56 pocket boroughs eliminated; 143 seats redistributed to underrepresented areas
timeline:
- date: 1830-06-26
  title: Wellington's Government Falls
  description: The Duke of Wellington's opposition to electoral reform triggers his resignation, bringing Earl Grey and the reformist Whigs to power.
- date: 1831-03-01
  title: First Reform Bill Introduced
  description: Earl Grey introduces the first Reform Bill in the Commons, proposing major franchise expansion and redistribution of seats.
- date: 1831-04-22
  title: First Reform Bill Defeated
  description: The bill narrowly fails in Parliament, triggering political crisis and widespread public agitation for reform.
- date: 1832-06-28
  title: Reform Act Receives Royal Assent
  description: After months of negotiation and pressure, King William IV grants royal assent to the Representation of the People Act 1832 on 7 June, fundamentally altering the franchise and seat distribution.
- date: 1832-12-08
  title: Election Polling Begins
  description: The first general election under the reformed system begins, with voting taking place across constituencies over a month-long period.
- date: 1833-01-08
  title: Polling Concludes
  description: The final votes are cast; the Whigs secure 224-seat majority, validating the reform agenda.
sources:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260511215956/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1832_United_Kingdom_general_election"
  title: British general election, 1832
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: This election validated the Great Reform Act of 1832, the first major expansion of the British franchise since the 17th century. It demonstrated that electoral reform could produce a working majority and set a precedent for further franchise expansions throughout the 19th century.
categories:
- election
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- election
- constitutional_reform
canonicalClasses:
- governance
- transformation
impactRadius: national
velocity: gradual
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: single_domain
lifecycleClass: transition
metaDescription: The 1832 British general election delivered a landslide for Earl Grey's Whigs, the first poll under reformed electoral rules.
wikidataQid: Q1582019
peoplesVoice:
- source: Earl Grey, Prime Minister
  voiceType: official
  context: Grey addresses Parliament following the decisive Whig victory, validating reform efforts
  excerpt: The people have spoken with unmistakable voice. This election is a triumph for parliamentary reform and the extension of the franchise to those who possess property and stake in the nation's governance.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 88
  attribution: Speech to House of Commons, January 1833
  publishedAt: 1833-01-15
  originalLanguage: en
- source: John Wilson Croker, Tory MP and journalist
  voiceType: media
  context: Conservative press responds to humiliating Tory collapse under Wellington's leadership
  excerpt: The country has been swept away by democratic enthusiasm. We shall rue the day we permitted the masses such influence over our ancient constitution.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 72
  attribution: Quarterly Review editorial, January 1833
  publishedAt: 1833-01-20
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Francis Place, radical reformer and tailor
  voiceType: analyst
  context: Leading reform advocate assesses the election's significance for working-class political prospects
  excerpt: Reform is secured, yet we must not deceive ourselves - the vote remains the privilege of the propertied. This is but a step; the masses must yet demand their rightful place in Parliament.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 75
  attribution: Letter to fellow reformers, December 1832
  publishedAt: 1832-12-20
  originalLanguage: en
- source: The Times of London editorial board
  voiceType: media
  context: The nation's leading newspaper reflects on the watershed moment for British democracy
  excerpt: A new era dawns. The Reformed Parliament must prove that extended representation brings stability, not chaos. The experiment upon which the nation has embarked will be watched with great anxiety.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 85
  attribution: The Times leading article, January 1833
  publishedAt: 1833-01-10
  originalLanguage: en
- source: The Duke of Wellington, former PM
  voiceType: skeptic
  context: The defeated Conservative leader responds to his party's electoral annihilation
  excerpt: I have fought for my country on the battlefield; I have fought for our institutions in Parliament. But I cannot fight against the tide of democratic passion that has now swept this nation.
  sentimentLabel: grieving
  significance: 82
  attribution: House of Lords remarks, January 1833
  publishedAt: 1833-01-25
  originalLanguage: en
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260511215956/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1832_United_Kingdom_general_election"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-11
  label: British general election, 1832
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1832_United_Kingdom_general_election"
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The Times
  publisherSlug: the-times
  headline: Reform Triumphant - Whigs Secure Decisive Majority in Historic Election
  publishedAt: 1833-01-09
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL available
  excerpt: The great struggle for Parliamentary reform has concluded in decisive victory for Earl Grey's administration. The Whigs have secured a commanding majority of 224 seats, vindicating the cause of expanded representation and electoral justice.
  significance: 90
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: The Morning Chronicle
  publisherSlug: morning-chronicle
  headline: The People's Choice - Voters Endorse the Great Reform Act
  publishedAt: 1833-01-10
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL available
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - The electorate has spoken with unmistakable clarity, returning Whig reformers across the kingdom and repudiating Tory obstruction. This first election under the reformed franchise marks a watershed moment in British democracy.
  significance: 88
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: The Edinburgh Review
  publisherSlug: edinburgh-review
  headline: Scotland Rallies to Reform - Grey Ministry Strengthened North of the Border
  publishedAt: 1833-02-15
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL available
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - Scottish constituencies have returned substantial majorities for Whig reform candidates, demonstrating that the north has embraced the principles of expanded suffrage and fairer representation with enthusiasm.
  significance: 72
  type: magazine
  region: Scotland
- publisher: The Spectator
  publisherSlug: the-spectator
  headline: A New Electoral Era Dawns - Reflections on the First Reformed Parliament
  publishedAt: 1833-03-02
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL available
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - With the Whig landslide now complete, observers across Europe take note of Britain's bold experiment in democratic expansion. The composition of this new House of Commons promises a fundamentally altered political landscape.
  significance: 76
  type: magazine
  region: United Kingdom
