Britain 's 19th century economic growth was beset by frequent and sometimes severe recessions . The Post-Napoleonic depression following the end of the Wars in 1815 was induced by several years of poor harvests , which were aggravated by the Corn Law Act of 1815 . This law set high tariffs on imported foodstuffs , keeping the cost of grain artificially high while wages were declining . As early as 1816 , the high cost of grain caused famine and unrest in areas such as East Anglia and the North of England , where rioters seized grain stores and attacked the homes of suspected profiteers and merchants . The high food prices caused an overall slump in consumption and consequently in industrial production and employment . The discontent of the workers culminated in the disastrous confrontation with the authorities at the Peterloo Massacre of 1819 , when British cavalry rode headfirst into a crowd of 60,000 to 80,000 protesters in Manchester , killing 5 and wounding as many as 700 people
Peterloo Massacre
Peterloo Massacre
Economic history of the United Kingdom