BROADCASTS.com

"Good God I am shot! I shall die!"\nThe colourful kaleidoscope of British elections from 1265 to their early 20th century incarnation, has seen some of the most critical, shocking, and downright farcical moments of western democracy. None more so than during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, when, following the dawn of party politics in the 1690\u2019s, violence and \u201ctreating\u201d - a means of enticing voters with raucous, drunken, glutenous street parties - as tools of political persuasion, rose to the fore. Few episodes encapsulate this more admirably than the election of 1698, which saw Whig candidates driving down their Tory opponents with hordes of hired horsemen, cudgelling them as they went. In 1705 - a year that saw party politics truly take shape and the early shoots of the culture wars - the Tories had their revenge, marching on the Whigs of Coventry armed with halberd's\u2026the madness continued into the Victorian era, despite the expanding franchise and a widespread sense of Gladstonian rectitude. In 1865, for example, a good humoured ruckus between a cheerful liberal and a keen conservative resulted in a fatal shot to the mouth. The murderer was partially pardoned on the basis that he had been suffering from \u201celection fever\u201d\u2026these are but a few incidents in the colourful kaleidoscope of election madness.\n\nJoin Dominic and Tom as they discuss in titillating detail the highlights of history\u2019s greatest, bawdiest and most bombastic pre-20th century elections. From murder, duelling MPs, hooliganism, and Hogarthian street carnivals, to cat throwing, pub invasions, mass kidnappings and charging grenadiers. Are there echoes of these episodes in the election antics of today?\xa0\n\n\n\n\nEXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal\xa0\u27bc\xa0https://nordvpn.com/restishistory\xa0Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee!\n\n*The Rest Is History LIVE in 2024*\nTom and Dominic are back onstage this summer, at Hampton Court Palace in London!\n\nBuy your tickets here: therestishistory.com\n\nTwitter:\n@TheRestHistory\n@holland_tom\n@dcsandbrook\n\nProducer: Theo Young-Smith\nAssistant Producer: Tabby Syrett\nExecutive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices