Complex sentence: In 1821 the Society was allowed to reform, under strict guidelines; however, in the interests of the right to free speech, the Union disregarded the stipulated guidelines and continued to debate contentious topics in disguised form.
Split into simpler sentences: In 1821 the Society was allowed to reform, under strict guidelines. In its effort to uphold the right to free speech, the Union disregarded them and continued to debate contentious topics in disguised form.