Whig

The name of the political party opposed to the Tory Party in the late 17th, 18th and early 19th centuries in England. The word is probably a shortening of the Scots whiggamore (horse drover), this having been applied to West Scottish insurgents of 1648; Whig was thus originally a term of contempt, like Tory.

The name was first used in its established sense during the 1679 struggle to exclude the Roman Catholic James from succession to the throne, then denoting nonconformity and rebellion. During the 18th century the Whigs stood for limited constitutional monarchy, religious toleration and expansive foreign policy, representing above all the interests of the aristocratic landowning families and the wealthy middle classes. A Whig party as such only came into being after 1784, as a consequence of the deep controversies which polarised English society. The party, led by Charles James Fox, stood for electoral, parliamentary and social reforms. The French Revolution and the French Wars led to a split in the party. After 1815 the Whig party gradually became the Liberal party of Russell and Gladstone.

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