A Quaker, Bright is most famous for battling the Corn Laws. In partnership with Richard Cobden, he founded the Anti–Corn Law League, aimed at abolishing the Corn Laws, which raised food prices and protected landowners' interests by levying taxes on imported wheat. The Corn Laws were repealed in 1846. Bright also worked with Cobden in another free trade initiative, the Cobden–Chevalier Treaty of 1860, promoting closer interdependence between Great Britain and the Second French Empire. This campaign was conducted in collaboration with French economist Michel Chevalier, and succeeded despite Parliament's endemic mistrust of the French.
Vie et carrière
Bright sat in the House of Commons from 1843 to 1889, promoting free trade, electoral reform and religious freedom. He was almost a lone voice in opposing the Crimean War; he also opposed William Ewart Gladstone's proposed Home Rule for Ireland. He saw himself as a spokesman for the middle class and strongly opposed the privileges of the landed aristocracy. In terms of Ireland, he sought to end the political privileges of Anglicans, disestablished the Church of Ireland, and began land reform that would turn land over to the Catholic peasants. He coined the phrase "mother of parliaments."
Faits clés
- Born: November 16, 1811 in Rochdale, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom
- Décès : 1889
- Domaine : Art
Héritage et influence
The influence of John Bright extends far beyond his own lifetime. He fundamentally shaped visual arts and creative expression, and his works and artistic innovations remain foundational to this day.
Though he passed away in 1889, his ideas continue to be studied, debated, and built upon by scholars and practitioners worldwide.
John Bright demeure l'un des esprits les plus célèbres issus de England, témoignage du riche héritage intellectuel de la région.
Génies notables de England
England a donné naissance à de nombreux esprits remarquables. Aux côtés de John Bright :
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