Corn Law

Corn Law
Eng. Hist.
any of the laws regulating domestic and foreign trading of grain, the last of which was repealed in 1846.

* * *

▪ British history
      in English history, any of the regulations governing the import and export of grain. Records mention the imposition of Corn Laws as early as the 12th century. The laws became politically important in the late 18th century and the first half of the 19th century, during the grain shortage caused by Britain's growing population and by the blockades imposed in the Napoleonic Wars. The Corn Laws were finally repealed in 1846, a triumph for the manufacturers, whose expansion had been hampered by protection of grain, against the landed interests.

      After 1791, protective legislation, combined with trade prohibitions imposed by war, forced grain prices to rise sharply. A bad harvest in 1795 led to food riots; there was a prolonged crisis during 1799–1801, and the period from 1805 to 1813 saw a sequence of bad harvests and high prices. From 1815, when an act attempted to fix prices, to 1822, grain prices fluctuated, and continuing protection was increasingly unpopular. The Anti-Corn Law League, founded in Manchester in 1839, began to mobilize the industrial middle classes against the landlords, and the league's leader, Richard Cobden, was able to influence the prime minister, Sir Robert Peel. The failure of the Irish potato crop in 1845 convinced Peel to support the repeal of all Corn Laws, which was achieved in 1846. Regulation again became necessary in 1902, when a minimal duty was imposed on imported grain and flour, and in 1932, when British-grown wheat was protected by statute in recognition of an increasing dependence on foreign imports.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Corn Law — Corn′ Law n. why any of the British laws regulating domestic and foreign trade in grain, the last of which was repealed in 1846 …   From formal English to slang

  • Corn Law — /ˈkɔn lɔ/ (say kawn law) noun English History any one of a series of laws regulating the home and foreign grain trade, the last of which was repealed in 1846 …  

  • corn law — noun : a law regulating trade in grain; specifically usually capitalized C&L : one of a series of laws in force in Great Britain before 1846 that prohibited or laid heavy duties upon the importation of foreign grain for home consumption except… …   Useful english dictionary

  • CORN-LAW RHYMER, THE —    , EBENEZER ELLIOTT (q.v. ELLIOTT, EBENEZER) who, in a volume of poems, denounced the corn laws and contributed to their abolition …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • Corn Law — noun Date: 1766 one of a series of laws in force in Great Britain before 1846 prohibiting or discouraging the importation of grain …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • corn-law — …   Useful english dictionary

  • Anti-Corn Law League — The Anti Corn Law League was in effect the resumption of the Anti Corn Law Association, which had been created in London in 1836 but did not obtain widespread popularity. The Anti Corn Law League was founded in Manchester in 1838. Richard Cobden… …   Wikipedia

  • Anti-Corn Law League — Versammlung der Anti Corn Law League 1846 in Exeter Hall Die Anti Corn Law League (dt. Antigetreidezollliga), war eine Vereinigung in England, welche die Abschaffung der Getreidezölle erstrebte und auch herbeigeführt hat. Diese bereits im 17.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Anti-Corn Law League — L Anti Corn Law League est une ligue contre les Corn Laws (lois sur les grains) fondée en 1839 par des économistes, des industriels, des commerçants et des banquiers de Manchester. Sommaire 1 Histoire 2 Objectifs 3 Actions …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Anti-Corn Law League —    A pressure group that agitated for the repeal of the tariffs protecting expensive British grown grain from foreign competition. The growing popularity of laissezfaire economic principles opposed to government intervention in the marketplace,… …   Encyclopedia of the Age of Imperialism, 1800–1914

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”