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→Key Characters
==Key Characters==
Samuel Bamford: He is considered a radical reformer who called for the repeal of the Corn Laws and greater democratic participation. He had been put in jail for treason but released by the government. He is one of the lead organizers of the 1819 protests and after the events of Peterloo he was arrestedagain. However, the events heavily influence his thinking on protests and non-violent movements, advocating for less violent means to change the government. He later used his writing to protest against government action.<ref>For more on Bamford, see: Bamford, S., Poole, R., 2000. <i>The diaries of Samuel Bamford</i>. Sutton, Stroud. </ref>
Henry Hunt: He is a leader of the revolutionaries, and the period's best-known orator (his nickname was even the "orator"), who is also known for his opposition to the Corn Laws. Although he comes from a privileged background, he also wanted universal suffrage. After his arrest at Peterloo, he used his writing to push his causes for more inclusive government, although he died a broken man tired by years of protests.<ref>For more on Hunt, see: Belchem, J., 2012. <i>“Orator” Hunt: Henry Hunt and English working-class radicalism</i>. Breviary Stuff Publications, London. </ref>
Joseph Peake: A fictional character, he is a veteran of Waterloo, where the movie begins by showing him having suffered PTSD after fighting for the government against Napolean. He returns to Manchester distraught by events of the war and having few or little minimal options in England after the war. He becomes radicalized and joins the movement against the government by 1819.
Lord Sidmouth: He is the Home Secretary who is depicted as someone who ran something akin to the Gestapo, controlling a network of spies and others who were eager to stamp out any possible agitation for rebellion or reform. He even uses the event of a potato thrown at the Prince Regent as an excuse to say that there was an assassination attempt against the Prince, justifying greater oppression of rights.<ref>For more on Lord Sidmouth and his role in Peterloo, see: Walmsley, R., 1969. <i>Peterloo: the case reopened</i>. Manchester U.P, Manchester, pg. 268</ref>
Prince Regent (George IV): An overweight spoiled child man who effectively became the monarch of Great Britain as his ailing father (George III) increasingly went madin the 1810s. He is shown as a humorous but an uncaring figure. Ultimately, he was more interested in women and socializing then government, with most of the governing tasks given to Lord Liverpool.<ref>For more on the Prince Regent, see: Hibbert, C., Hibbert, C., 2007. <i>George IV: the rebel who would be king</i>. Palgrave Macmillan, New York.</ref>
Lord Liverpool: The Prime Minister who ruled during the end of the Napoleonic wars and who had to oversee the rise of discontent after the wars. He was not known for having a great imagination, particularly in dealing with ills in society after the war. While Lord Liverpool was known for banning the slave trade and emancipating Catholics, who were repressed in England, he showed ignorance or blindness to other problems. He presided over an increasingly austere government towards the working poor, that feared them more than wanting to help themanything, limiting their collective power to strike and gather.<ref>For more on Lord Liverpool, see: Hay, W.A., 2018. <i>Lord Liverpool: a political life</i>. The Boydell Press, Woodbridge.</ref>
==Wider Impact of the Film==
