Genesis for members attending debates today. The society's origins lie in a dispute among the members of three pre-existing societies, one being a discussion group of which
Lord Palmerston was a member. The inaugural meeting of the Cambridge Union was held on 13 February 1815, eight years before the
Oxford Union was founded in 1823. However, in the political climate of the
Hundred Days which ended the
Napoleonic Wars, controversial debate topics generated suspicion among university officials who sought to suppress potentially radical thought among students. On 24 March 1817, university proctors burst into a meeting of the society and the Cambridge Union was temporarily shut down, forbidding future debates from taking place. By 1821, the Union was permitted to resume debates under strict conditions, including that no political topics relevant to the last twenty years were to be discussed. In 1830, the Union regained its full freedom to debate all topics, excluding those of a strictly theological nature. The Cambridge Union's Bridge Street premises () were designed by
Alfred Waterhouse (who went on to design the Oxford Union Society's building) and formally opened on 30 October 1866. An additional wing was added several decades later. The future radical Liberal politician,
Sir Charles Dilke, was the President chiefly responsible for construction. Included among the building's many rooms are the debating chamber, a dining room, bar, snooker room, the
Keynes Library and various offices.
Postwar Regeneration Facing financial trouble and extensive rebuilding work, the Union launched a restoration appeal to its life members in October 1945, successfully raising over £3,000 by the end of the academic year. The postwar period saw a strong political atmosphere and a great many celebrated orators emerge from the Union, many of whom went on serve serve in senior government positions, notably
Geoffrey Howe. On Armistice Day 1947, the Cambridge Union hosted what was the first university debate to be broadcast. The debate on the motion
That this House considers that the Conservative Party makes a poor Opposition and would, if returned to office, make an even poorer Government was broadcast live on the
BBC Third Programme and drew a very large audience, concluding with the motion being defeated by 503 to 267.
Women Members Though women had been allowed into the Union to watch debates from the gallery since at least 1866, the admission of women as full members was a contentious issue. For much of its history, the Cambridge Union was an exclusively all-male club, along with being a debating society. In the 1920s, Viscount Ennismore of Magdalene tried three times to allow female guests to speak in debates. The issue continued to arise in the following decades, with Leonard Miall of St John's proposing a motion in 1935 that certain 'ladies of distinction' be permitted to speak in one debate per term, to no avail. By the early 1960s, formal votes were held to amend the constitution to allow women as members. Although the majority voted in favour, they failed to meet the 2/3 majority required to make constitutional change. On one occasion, a female student gate-crashed a debate and was removed, with the whole incident being reported in the national press. An amendment was finally passed by 71 per cent in 1965 to admit women to full membership of the Union. Almost immediately, five women had joined as full Union members, with one declaring that 'This is a wonderful night for all women in Cambridge'. However, until the first female president, the decision to admit women had a negative effect on membership in the immediate term. In Michaelmas 1967,
Ann Mallalieu of
Newnham College became the first female president. The daughter of a Labour minister and ex-President of the
Oxford Union, Mallalieu's term in office generated significant national publicity and saw a record number of new members joining. It is notable that the Union admitted women as full members before any of the colleges, as well as other societies such as the
Footlights, did.
Modern developments The Union is legally a self-funded charity that owns and has full control over its private property and buildings in the Cambridge city centre. It enjoys strong relations with the university, and allows other student societies to hire rooms for a nominal cost. Guests are sometimes admitted to Union events for a charge. After more than 200 years, the Cambridge Union is best known for its debates, which receive national and international media attention. The top members of its debating team compete internationally against other top debating societies. The program also includes special events, such as a comedy debate in collaboration with the
Cambridge Footlights. The Union also organises talks by visiting speakers and a wide array of events throughout the academic year.
2016 redevelopment project In January 2015 the Union announced a £9.5m refurbishment project to begin in late 2016 to address major structural problems and to expand existing facilities, subject to approval by planners, to include a new Wine Bar on the ground floor and a Jazz & Comedy Club in the basement (in the old home of the Cambridge
Footlights). It also announced a plan to use the revenue generated from the new building to reduce membership fees to make the Union more accessible to students from lower income backgrounds, and to increase the size of its competitive debating activities for disadvantaged children and students. The development was to be partially financed through the leasing of disused parts of its site to
Trinity College in a deal worth £4.5 million. Construction on the major redevelopment project was scheduled to begin in Michaelmas 2018.
Gallery File:The Cambridge Union Building.jpg|The Cambridge Union File:Stephen Fry at the Cambridge Union.jpg|The Main Chamber File:cmglee Cambridge Union Society bar.jpg|The 1815 Bar and Cafe ==Membership==