ABSTRACT
Of William Morris’s eighteen years of political activism, seven were spent in promoting the activities of the Liberal Party, a longer period than his association with either the Social Democratic Federation, the Socialist League, or the Hammersmith Socialist Society. Morris came to active political engagement relatively late in his life, but once committed, he at first passionately supported the Liberal party and its goals. although he later became deeply disillusioned with parliamentary politics. The Liberal Party was created in the late 1830s from a coalition of Whigs, MPs who broke with the Tories over the issue of free trade, and Radicals. The Whigs were the descendants of aristocratic and gentry groups that had supported the Glorious Revolution. During the period Morris was involved in Liberal politics, only a fraction of the male population could vote. The qualifications for voting had not changed since the Representation of the People Act in 1867.
