The Influence Of Gordon Riots On British Society

The Gordon riot of 1780 was the most destructive and influential mass riot in Britain in the 18 century.The outbreak of riots was usually an extreme means by the masses to express public opinion,and it was also an important manifestation of the development of British popular politics.The occurrence of the Gordon riots was inseparable from the British internal and external environment.In the 18 century,the British cabinet was gradually established and aristocratic elites ruled.With the development of the Industrial Revolution,the rapid growth of the British economy,population increase,town expansion,and the rise of mass media facilitated the dissemination of news,which provided conditions for the development of popular politics in the 18 century.Religiously,during this period,Britain belonged to a diversified society,and the state religion still occupied the dominant position,but non-state religions also flourished.Compared with the status of other non-state religions,Catholicism was still suppressed.Most British people still have a deep aversion and hatred of Catholicism.At that time,Britain was facing a war of independence in the North American colonies,and France,Spain,and the Netherlands took the opportunity to seize British overseas colonies.The long-term foreign war led to the rapid decline of British military power in the second half of the 18 century.It also caused dissatisfaction among the domestic people.The interests of the landlord class were infringed,and the general public suffered from long-term conscription.In order to alleviate the shortage of domestic troops,the British government issued the "Catholic Liberation" in 1778.This decree exempted Catholics from having to swear allegiance to the king when participating in the British army.It strengthened the British power to a certain extent.Few important civil rights are granted to the Catholic Church,which was a symbol of the Whig Party’s expression of tolerance.However,the promulgation of the "Catholic Liberation Order" directly aroused public anger.After a large-scale petition broke out to no avail,riots broke out on June 2,1780.George Gorden(1751-1793)is believed to be the main person responsible for the riots and is accused of using the Puritans’ fear of the restoration of the Catholic Church to incite riots.During the riots,the Bank of England,the Fleet Prison and the residence of Chief Justice Earl Mansfield were all destroyed by the mob.In the end,the government had to send an army to suppress it.In the process,the army shot 285 people.Among the arrested rioters,nearly 30 were executed.Gordon himself was charged with treason,but was eventually acquitted.The riots were not limited to London,but also spread to other areas.The riots had a certain impact on British society,mainly manifested in two aspects: parliamentary reforms and radical movements.From the perspective of parliamentary reforms,the Gordon riots suspended the parliamentary reforms in 1780.The outbreak of riots hindered the process of parliamentary reforms,and the reign of George III was temporarily maintained.From the perspective of the radical movement,the radical movement played a role of political education for the masses in the early stage of the riots,and the power of the people was also used by the radicals to support their reforms.In addition,the mass riots also accumulated experience for the mass movement of parliamentary reform in the 19 century.