Britian's+Corn+Laws

__ Britain’s Corn Law __ By Cassy Appelt Britain’s Corn Laws were a series of laws to protect English farmers from losing profits of their cereal crops due to the influence of cheaper foreign imports1. The first Corn Law that was ever passed in England was passed in 1804, when wealthy landowners dominated Parliament**2.** Corn Laws were not created in England again until 1815, after the Napoleonic Wars between the Napoleonic Empire and England came to an end3.  During the Napoleonic Wars, many blockades were set in place by both sides in attempt to weaken the other’s economic stability4. Napoleon issued the Berlin Decree in 1806 which forbade his allies from trading with the British5. This decree was returned with the Orders in Council of 1807, which forbade French trade with the United Kingdom and its allies, and ordered the Royal Navy to blockade French ports6. To this Napoleon declared the Milan Decree of 1807, which warned that all neutral ships in British waters were to be regarded as the enemy and seized7. Both Britain and Napoleon attempted to seclude each other from the rest of the world, hoping that interfering with their enemy’s trade would give them the upper hand8. It was these succession of laws and decrees, aiming to seclude each other’s trade, that led to the passing of the Corn Laws in 1815.  By 1815, farming had become an extremely successful venture in Britain1. The price of “corn”, a term meant to describe all cereal crops such as wheat and barley, had risen dramatically since 1807 2. The Nobles and landowners were the largest benefiters of the increased prices because they owned most of the available farming land3**.** Needless to say when the Napoleonic Wars ended they felt threatened by the possibility of cheap imported corn causing the high prices to plummet4. At the time, the government was highly influenced by land owners, so the first of the Corn Laws was introduced in 1818, stating that no foreign corn would be allowed in Britain until domestic corn reached a price of 80 shillings per quarter5.  The Corn Laws were not popular6. At the time that the Corn Laws were passed, the Houses of Parliament had to be defended from angry mobs by armed troops7! In the lower classes the Corn Laws spelled hardships for many people, but because the right to vote was dependant on land ownership, and the big landowners were in favour of the legislation, the Corn Laws stayed in place for many years1. These laws made the prices of bread soar, and middle class people couldn`t afford to buy bread and continue lending their spending power to the growing industrial economy2. Manufacturers eventually suffered and were forced to lay off workers, and because employment was hard to find, the economy continued to worsen3. Industrial unrest continued to increase after a bad harvest in 1816 that raised the price of bread even higher, numerous strikes and food riots, and factory workers demanding higher wages in order to pay for increasing food prices4.

 Things started to change in 1832 when the right to vote was extended to a large portion of the middle class5. Soon reformist groups like the Chartists and the Anti-Corn Law League started to make movements towards changing restrictions on trade in general, not just when it came to corn6. After many years of constant fighting towards reformed trade rules, the British government under Sir Robert Peel revoked the Corn Laws in 18467.

.