62 REFORM AND DEMOCRACY 



that were in use on the Continent, and they 

 were felt by the less reactionary element in 

 Great Britain to be inconsistent with the tra 

 ditions of English liberty. Whether because of 

 the odium thus incurred, or because of their very 

 effectiveness itself, the Six Acts marked prac 

 tically the culmination of the policy of aggres 

 sive severity against the Radical agitation. 

 It became increasingly clear to Whigs and lib 

 eral Tories alike that the recurring popular dis 

 turbances were, due quite as much to deep- 

 lying economic causes as to the mere idealism 

 and ambition of visionaries and Radicals. The 

 advent of Canning to the position of chief in 

 fluence in the government in 1822 contributed 

 to the change in the trend of official feeling. 

 Under Castlereagh s dominance the cordiality 

 between Great Britain and the allied monarchs 

 of the Continent in foreign policy promoted a 

 correspondence in domestic policy. Canning s 

 spectacular and defiant break with the powers, 

 and his open support of insurgents in Europe 

 and in America, gave inspiration and hope to 

 those who were looking for extensive, if not 

 technically Radical, changes in ancient British 

 institutions. 



The anticipated process of reform promptly 



