The Reforms of Gladstone's First Ministry
To what extent were the reforms of Gladstone’s first ministry limited in their success? [50 marks]
Gladstone’s first ministry was one of effective reform that changed the perspective and direction of British politics. Gladstone’s success came through his work to remove “unjustified privileges” which he achieved and highlight the efficiency of his first ministry. I think that for the most part his reforms were very successful with some limitations and .
The Civil Service Act of 1870 highlights both the success and limitations of his reforms. Civil services jobs became open to everyone through competitive entrance examinations however the Foreign Office was the only exception because Gladstone felt that the aristocratic classes would be respected better than others by representatives from other countries. In this case it is easy to say that although he removed “unjustified privileges” because you could no longer buy a position in the Civil Service, it was limited because the Foreign Office was still only for the aristocratic classes.
Another example of success, especially when considering removing “unjustified privileges” was the Army Reforms 1869-71. By abolishing the purchase of Commissions he improved the efficiency of the army and removed the “unjustified privileges” which he was so keen to do. Furthermore Gladstone stopped the army being led by two positions, the Commander-in-Chief and the Secretary for War. The Commander was now placed under the Secretary for War. In addition to this reduced the length of a soldiers serve, you could know sign up for a 3 or 6 year term with 9 or 6 years in the reserve. This decision was made after the Franco-Prussian War which showed that you must have a well-trained army with a large amount of reserve soldiers. These parts of the bill were to increase efficiency and remove “unjustified privileges” but in addition to this there was an element of humanitarian Liberalism that emerged, that abolished peace time flogging. The
Gladstone’s first ministry was one of effective reform that changed the perspective and direction of British politics. Gladstone’s success came through his work to remove “unjustified privileges” which he achieved and highlight the efficiency of his first ministry. I think that for the most part his reforms were very successful with some limitations and .
The Civil Service Act of 1870 highlights both the success and limitations of his reforms. Civil services jobs became open to everyone through competitive entrance examinations however the Foreign Office was the only exception because Gladstone felt that the aristocratic classes would be respected better than others by representatives from other countries. In this case it is easy to say that although he removed “unjustified privileges” because you could no longer buy a position in the Civil Service, it was limited because the Foreign Office was still only for the aristocratic classes.
Another example of success, especially when considering removing “unjustified privileges” was the Army Reforms 1869-71. By abolishing the purchase of Commissions he improved the efficiency of the army and removed the “unjustified privileges” which he was so keen to do. Furthermore Gladstone stopped the army being led by two positions, the Commander-in-Chief and the Secretary for War. The Commander was now placed under the Secretary for War. In addition to this reduced the length of a soldiers serve, you could know sign up for a 3 or 6 year term with 9 or 6 years in the reserve. This decision was made after the Franco-Prussian War which showed that you must have a well-trained army with a large amount of reserve soldiers. These parts of the bill were to increase efficiency and remove “unjustified privileges” but in addition to this there was an element of humanitarian Liberalism that emerged, that abolished peace time flogging. The