Whig

The term whig corresponds to the old name of the British Liberal Party.

In politics, the term whig—from the Scottish Gaelic 'rustler'—was a derogatory way of referring to the Presbyterian covenanters who marched from southwest Scotland over Edinburgh in 1648 in what became known as the Whiggamore Raid, using the terms Whiggamore and Whig as derogatory nicknames designating to the Kirk Party (Party of the Church), radical Presbyterian faction of the Scottish Covenanters, which effectively ended up seizing power.

During the Exclusion Act crisis of 1678-1681, the nickname was given in England to the groups that eventually became the British Whig party, Shaftesbury being considered its founder. They defended the exclusion rights of James of York. They represented dissenters and merchants. They rejected Anglicanism and absolute monarchy. They promoted the proclamation of the Bill of Rights (Declaration of Rights) and supported the revolution of 1688.

Whigs dominated English politics throughout virtually the entire 18th century, with figures such as Robert Walpole and William Pitt (the Elder).

The name Liberal Party came into use in the mid-19th century and by the end of the century represented those who sought reform electoral, parliamentary and philanthropic, with which the term whig fell out of use. The first Liberal government was formed in 1868 by William Gladstone.

A Whig Party also existed in the United States during the first decades of its existence as a country, in the late 18th century and for a good part of the XIX century.

The Whig party in the UK general election

General Election

Election	Votes	Percentage	Scalls	Variance	Outcome
March 1679			218/522		Government whig in parliament
October 1679			310/522	92	Victoria whig
1681			309/502	1	Victoria whig
1685			57/525	252	Victoria tory
1689			319/551	262	Victoria whig
1690			241/512	78	Tory government in parliament
1695			257/513	16	Victoria whig
1698			246/513	11	Government whig in parliament
January 1701			219/513	27	Tory government in parliament
November 1701			248/513	29	Government whig in parliament
1702			184/513	64	Victoria tory
1705			233/513	49	Victoria tory
1708			291/558	58	Victoria whig
1710			196/558	95	Victoria tory
1713			161/558	35	Victoria tory
1715			341/558	180	Victoria whig
1722			389/558	48	Victoria whig
1727			415/558	26	Victoria whig
1734			330/558	85	Victoria whig
1741			286/558	44	Victoria whig
1747			338/558	52	Victoria whig
1754			368/558	30	Victoria whig
1761			446/558	78	Victoria whig
1768			108/558	338	Victoria tory
1774			215/558	107	Victoria tory
1780			254/558	39	Victoria tory
1784			155/558	99	Victoria tory
1790			183/558	28	Victoria tory
1796			95/558	88	Victoria tory
1802			269/658	174	Victoria tory
1806			431/658	162	Victoria whig
1807			213/658	218	Tory government in parliament
1812			196/658	17	Victoria tory
1818			175/658	21	Tory government in parliament
1820			215/658	40	Victoria tory
1826			198/658	17	Victoria tory
1830			196/658	2	Government whig in parliament
1831			370/658	174	Victoria whig
1832	554,719	67.0%	441/658	71	Victoria whig
1835	349,868	55.2%	385/658	56	Victoria whig
1837	418.331	51.7%	344/658	41	Victoria whig
1841	273,902	46.9%	271/658	73	Victoria tory
1847	259,311	53.8%	292/656	21	Government whig in parliament
1852	430,882	57.9%	324/654	32	Victoria tory
1857	464,127	65.9%	377/654	53	Victoria whig
1859	372,117	65.7%	356/654	21	Victoria whig

Reference (partial)

• Vázquez, E., Aguilera, C., and Olmeda, C., «Historical and Artistic Dictionary», The Expansion of Great BritainSarpe, 1985. ISBN 84-7291-890-4.