Peterloo had no effect on the speed of reform, but in due course all but one of the reformers' demands, annual parliaments, were met. Following the Great Reform Act of 1832, the newly created Manchester parliamentary borough elected its first two MPs.

What was the impact of the Peterloo Massacre?

The massacre paved the way for parliamentary democracy and particularly the Great Reform Act of 1832, which got rid of “rotten” boroughs such as Old Sarum and created new parliamentary seats, particularly in the industrial towns of the north of England.

What changed after the Peterloo Massacre?

After the massacre, the government crackdown on the parliamentary reform movement led to the imprisonment of every significant figure in the movement and the curtailing of workers' freedoms via the notorious Six Acts bill.