DEMOCRACY REVISION
UNIVERSAL ADULT
EXAMPLES OF
SUFFRACE
WHAT WAS
INTRODUCED
HOW FAR DID IT
INTRODUCE
DEMOCRACY
HOW LIMITED
EXAMPLES
HISTORIOGRAPHY/QUOTES
1) vote still depended on
property
2) 2 in 3 men were without
the vote as well as all women
D.G Wright argues ‘’democracy was
undemocratic because of the number of
males disenfranchised, as well as
women’’
Plural voting still existed and
made up 7 % of the
electorate. Live in servants.
Sons living at home and
paupers still weren’t allowed
to vote (12% of the
population.)
Women were still not
allowed to vote.
T.C Smout: “The 1884-85 Act failed to
achieve or indeed never intended to
achieve the granting of manhood
suffrage in town and county. The act left
some 40% of adult males in the UK
without the vote.
The 2nd Parliamentary Reform
Act 1867
(extension of the franchise)
1) 400,000 extra voters
allowing household suffrage
in the boroughs.
2) Electorate extended to
skilled working class who
had stayed in property for at
least a year and lodgers
paying a minimum of £10
rent a year.
1) size of electorate doubles
from 1,120,000 to 2.5 million
2) 1 in 3 males could now
vote
3) Act led to improvements in
political parties.
1884 3rd Parliamentary Reform
Act. The Representation of the
People Act
(extension of the franchise)
Gave men in the country the
same voting rights as in the
towns. In England and Wales
2 in 3 men could now vote.
Franchise extended to
householders who paid rates
and stayed there for at least a
year.
1) The electorate increased
from 2.5 million to 5 million.
2) Franchise qualification in
counties the same as
boroughs.
Representation of the People
Act 1918
(extension of the franchise)
Gave all women over 30 who
were householders or the
wife’s of householders and
university graduates. The
occupiers of property with £5
annual rent the vote
Gave some women the vote
for the first time and
extended the vote to all adult
males.
Representation of the People
Act 1918
All women over 21 who
stayed in a constituency for
over 6 months were granted
the vote.
Extended the franchise to all
women over the age of 21
and gave women the same
voting rights as men
The right to vote was based
on housing qualification.
Women not granted the vote
on equal terms as men.
EQUAL REP
The Second Parliamentary Counties and boroughs
with less than10,000
Reform Act 1867
(Redistribution of seats)
people lost 1 MP
The remaining 45 seats
redistributed to counties
and boroughs that had
more people since 1832,
eg Liverpool got 1 more
MP
Parties had to develop
national organisations as
boroughs increased
voters.
The Redistribution Act
1885
Constituencies were
reorganised into more
equal sizes by
population. 79 towns
with a population under
15,000 lost both their
seats. Attempted to
make each MP represent
roughly the same
number of people.
Moved Britain closer to
a democracy
Put in place an electoral
system which is similar
to the present system
Secret Ballot Act 1872
Secret Ballot, voting
now done in secret,
Everyone who were able
to vote could be free
from intimidation
An improvement
towards democracy and
helped in ending
patronage
MPs were still unevenly
distributed. Did not alter
the balance of political
power. Electorate still
largely remained the
same
Thomson argues that the
1884/1885 act emphasised public
opinion and ensured more focus
was put on it.
Employers were still
bribing their workers to
vote
Between 1867 and
1885. Four town were
disenfranchised due to
corrupt practices
The chief commissioner of police
in London reported – “Since the
passing of the Ballot Act we have
never had the slightest trouble at
any election that has taken place
in London and the places that
used to be the worst are now the
best
1883 Corrupt and Illegal
Practices Act
DEMO/PRINCIPLES
1911 Parliament Act
FORMATION OF
LABOUR PARTY 1906
Involvement in
corruption could lead to
a heavy fine or
imprisonment
agents had to account for
the money they spent
dictated what campaign
the money was to be
spent on
less intimidation
new code of ethics had
moved forward towards
democracy.
plural voting still
existed
some people voted for
the same person as they
donated to local
charities and churches
House of Lords could no
longer prevent the Budget
Bills and could only delay the
bills for 2 years. MP’s given a
salary of £400 a year
Lords no longer had power to
completely stop a Bill. Life of
Government term reduced
from 7 years to 5.
Allowed working class
people to become MP’s by
giving them a salary.
MP’s could not bribe their
constituents so they had to
listen to their wishes to get
voted in. Now the elected
members (Commons) have
more power than the
unelected (Lords)
Not fully democratic as the
House of Lords still had
power powers despite not
being elected.
The Liberal and
Conservative Party’s had
another political rival.
The working class now
had a party to politically
represent them.
“Elections certainly became more
orderly” S. Wood: Britain 1850 1979, p36