United Kingdom general election, 1852

E571991

The United Kingdom general election of 1852 was a mid-19th-century parliamentary contest that resulted in a fragile Conservative minority government and highlighted the growing political realignment over free trade and economic policy.

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Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf United Kingdom general election
associatedGovernment First Derby ministry NERFINISHED
chamberElected House of Commons NERFINISHED
characteristic highlighted divisions over free trade
produced a fragile parliamentary balance
chronologicalPosition first United Kingdom general election of the 1850s
context post-Corn Law political realignment
country United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland NERFINISHED
electoralBody British electorate (pre-1867 franchise)
electoralFranchise limited, property-based franchise
endDate 1852-07-31
era Victorian era
followedBy fall of Derby ministry, 1852
governmentHeadAfterElection Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby NERFINISHED
hasLanguage English
house House of Commons of the United Kingdom NERFINISHED
leadingParty1 Conservative Party (UK) (historic) NERFINISHED
leadingParty2 Whig Party (UK) NERFINISHED
legislatureTerm 16th Parliament of the United Kingdom NERFINISHED
mainIssue economic policy
free trade
monarch Queen Victoria NERFINISHED
nextElection United Kingdom general election, 1857 NERFINISHED
notableOutcome Conservatives emerged as largest single party
Peelites held balance of power
no party secured an overall majority
numberOfSeatsContested 654
otherSignificantParty Irish Independent Opposition NERFINISHED
Peelite faction NERFINISHED
parliamentNumber 16
partOf parliamentary history of the United Kingdom
previousElection United Kingdom general election, 1847 NERFINISHED
primeMinisterAfterElection Lord Derby NERFINISHED
primeMinisterAfterElectionParty Conservative Party (UK) (historic) NERFINISHED
primeMinisterBeforeElection Lord Derby NERFINISHED
primeMinisterBeforeElectionParty Conservative Party (UK) (historic) NERFINISHED
relatedReform repeal of the Corn Laws
resultingGovernment Conservative minority government
significance marked continuing transition from old Tory–Whig system to modern party politics
startDate 1852-07-07
tookPlaceIn England NERFINISHED
Ireland NERFINISHED
Scotland NERFINISHED
Wales NERFINISHED
tookPlaceUnder constitutional monarchy
typeOfContest general election
votingSystem first-past-the-post

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

The Earl of Derby (as Prime Minister, first term) officeContestedIn United Kingdom general election, 1852
subject surface form: The Earl of Derby (first term as Prime Minister)