Whigs and Tories

At the end the 17th century, as the England of the Restoration of Charles II experiences its last years in a tense climate of conspiracy and plots, there remains the fundamental question of succession to the throne of the Kingdom. Charles' appointed successor is his brother, James II. However, he is Catholic and Parliament - which passed “The Test Act” in 1673 requiring that official roles be reserved to those who receive communion according to the Anglican ritual- refuses his succession. This question creates a division of opinion between those who mistrust Charles II and his brother, nicknamed Whigs, and those who defend the right of James II to become king, nicknamed Tories. As a rule, the Whigs require tolerance towards all protestants in the Kingdom including the dissidents, and affirm that the monarch's authority must be subjected to the people's consent. The Tories, for their part, are partisans of the Anglican conformism and they give the Church of England the role of spiritual guide to the Monarchy. Even though they denounce the non-Anglicans, they are favourable to the ascent to the throne of a Catholic king, because he is the legitimate sovereign, holding this principle inviolable. These two factions are not yet constituted as real political parties but this crisis unleashes such passions that the quarrel spreads to the streets. Each side becomes involved in popular consultations including rallies, debates, pamphlets and speeches that, for the first time, bring political life to the public arena. In 1680 it is feared that England is about to return to civil war.
Calm comes back in 1681 with the dissolution of Parliament and the arrival on the throne of James II in 1685. The Whig opposition is momentarily quiet.
However the history of these two parties has started and is unquestionably to become part of the future political evolution of the Kingdom.
Thus the Whigs will later become the “Liberals” and the Tories will take the name of “Conservatives”.