Extent to Which The Corn Laws were a Triumph for Middle-Class Commercial Interests or a Victory for the Poor in England.
In the discussion of the extent to which the Corn Laws were either a triumph for the middle class commercial interests or a victory for the poor in England, it can be said that although it was both a triumph and a victory for both parties, it was to a greater extent a triumph for the middle class. Many of the documents such as Documents # 5, 13, and 14 mention either sufferings or solutions (repeal of the Corn Laws) to sufferings of the working class or manufacturing districts (both other names for the middle-class in England). Other documents, such as Document # 8, mention indirectly conditions of the time when the Corn Laws were in place. .
Document # 4, John Bright's History of the Anti-Corn League, mentions a time that the "very lobby of the House are closed against us- This says that there was a time when members of Parliament were almost the only persons who had a chance to voice their opinions on political matters in England.
Document # 5, a description of Richard Cobden's visit to the manufacturing districts, paints a picture of a " gloomy scene- where " starvation is stalking through the land ." The manufacturing districts, which are so grimly described, are the very place that the working force, or middle class, is located for the majority of the time. Richard Cobden adds in his description that he recalls " that there is a law which especially provides for keeping our population in absolute want ." This excerpt provides for readers another portrayal of the kinds of conditions that the Corn Laws resulted in for the working class.
Document # 8, and excerpt from W. Cunningham's The Rise and Decline of the Free Trade Movement, speaks of free trade being accepted by Parliament not because a majority in the House but because " there seemed to be no other obvious solutions for the difficulties of the moment .
