6 - Democracy and Participation

Question 1

What democracy is the uk

Answer 1

Representative

Question 2

What are the features of democracy

Answer 2

Representation
participation
Accountability
Legitimacy
Rule of Law
Elections
Smooth transition of power
Civil rights
Education

Question 3

Key info on Direct Democracy

Answer 3

People vote Yes or No on a certain topic
No country has a fully direct democracy as it would be too difficult
Switzerland has the most direct democracy
The UK uses referendums a lot

Question 4

Advantages of direct democracy

Answer 4

People can directly participate
The wishes of people cannot be ignored
People can be politically motivated
Decisions have the authority of the people - gives legitimacy

Question 5

Disadvantages of direct democracy

Answer 5

The public may be misinformed and make poor decisions
Tyranny of the majority - Vote for something to stop a minority group
People can vote populist/emotionally
Expensive and slow

Question 6

Key info on representative government

Answer 6

Regular elections to elect representatives
Follow trustee or delegate model
Elected representatives become part of a legislative assembly
Most western democracy’s are a liberal democracy

Question 7

What is a liberal democracy

Answer 7

Types of representative democracy in which the rule of law is followed

Question 8

Who could vote before 1832

Answer 8

Only rich male land owners
Lower than 4% of the population

Question 9

What did the Great reform act 1832 do

Answer 9

One in 5 male adults could vote
5.6% of population

Question 10

What did the second reform act 1867 do

Answer 10

Allowed working-class men to vote if they met a property qualification

Doubled the electorate

Question 11

What did the third reform act 1884 do

Answer 11

All working men who met a property qualification could vote

40% of the population

Question 12

What did the representation of the people act 1918 do

Answer 12

All men over 21 could vote

women over 30 who met the property qualification could vote

Question 13

What did the representation of the people act 1928 do

Answer 13

All men and women over 21 could vote

Property qualification removed

Question 14

What did the representation of the peoples act 1969 do

Answer 14

Voting age lowered to 18

Question 15

Why were women given the vote so late

Answer 15

Traditionally seen as the “Weaker” sex
No considered to have enough education
Opponents in 19th-20th century said they were to emotional
Traditionalists felt a women’s place was in the home, politics would distract her

Question 16

Class suffrage key info

Answer 16

The rich before 1832 believed giving poor people he vote would lose them power
Fears poor people weren’t educated enough
Fears poor people would vote for socialism

Question 17

Ethnic suffrage key info

Answer 17

Have never been ethnic barriers in voting in the uk
People of colour have been un-represented in parliament
Black and asian people were less likely to register to vote in 2019

Question 18

Suffrage around age key info

Answer 18

Younger people were not seen as having enough political education
Women between 21-29 were denied the vote in 1918 because they were seen to be emotional
There is a campaign to bring the vote to 16-17 yr olds - They can vote for Scottish parliament, local councils and the welsh parliament

Question 19

What was the turnout for 16-17 in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum

Answer 19

higher than the 18-24yr olds

Question 20

What party’s support votes from 16

Answer 20

Labour
SNP
Lib Dems
Plaid Cymru
Green

Question 21

Who were the chartists

Answer 21

Set up after the great reform act 1832

They campaigned for votes for all men under 21, no property qualifications for mp’s and yearly elections

Question 22

What were the Chartists methods

Answer 22

They presented 3 petitions signed by millions to parliament

Question 23

Significance of the chartists

Answer 23

All 3 petitions rejected
Authority dealt harshly with unrest provoked by the rejections
Movement lacked a single leaver and struggled to co-ordinate
Some wanted violence, which lead to middle class people leaving
today all their aims apart from yearly elections have been met

Question 24

Who were the suffragists

Answer 24

Campaigned for the vote since 1860’s

In 1897 they formed the national union of women’s suffrage society’s NUWSS

Question 25

What were the suffragist’s methods

Answer 25

Peaceful methods
Petitions
speeches
marches
letter writing

Question 26

Significance of the suffragist’s

Answer 26

Women were no closer to getting the vote in 1903
NUWSS had more than 100,000 members by 1914

Question 27

Who were the suffragettes

Answer 27

Emmeline pankhurst formed the Women’s social and political union SPU in 1903 after getting frustrated the suffragists done nothing

Question 28

What were the suffragettes method’s

Answer 28

Militant methods
Received harsh prison sentences which they attempted to reduce via hunger strikes
Emily Davidson was killed by the kings horse in derby in 1913
Christabel pankhurst fled to hide in france to not get arrested
Campaign stopped as WW1 started

Question 29

Significance of the suffragettes

Answer 29

the government refused to give into violence
Dealt with harshly by the police
Attracted national coverage
Criticised for using extreme measures by suffragists
Many key supporters left because of the arson protest and funding fell
Likely women were gave the vote in 1918 to stop anymore violence

Question 30

What did the ECHR say about prisoner suffrage in 2005

Answer 30

Against their human right to refused them them all the vote

Question 31

What was Hirst V UK

Answer 31

John Hirst was serving a sentence for man slaughter
he argued that the uk government was in breach of the HRA
This was rejected by the high court but when he brought the case to the ECHR it was successful
The UK government did not comply with the ECHR ruling

Question 32

What pressure group wants the UK to obey the HCHR on the votes for prisoners

Answer 32

Howard league for penal support

Question 33

What did the conservatives do in 2017 for prisoner right

Answer 33

Let around 100 prisoners vote

Question 34

What did the scottish parliament do in 2020 for prisoners votes

Answer 34

Allowed them to vote if their sentence was 12 months or less

Question 35

Arguments for there being a participation crisis

Answer 35

Turnout has been low in general elections - in 1950 more that 80% of people voted compared to 59% in 2001

In 2012 the PPC election had a 15% nationwide turnout, then 27% in 2016 and 33% in 2021

Question 36

Arguments against there being a participation crisis

Answer 36

Turnout is rising in general elections with 69% in 2017 and 67%in 2019 being the second highest since 1997

Turnout in referendums have been high with 85% in scottish independence and 72% in the 2016 eu referendum

The contrast between the PCC election and the Eu referendum show people will participate if they care about the cause

Question 37

Arguments for a party membership crisis

Answer 37

Membership has fallen since the 1950’s when the torys had over 2.5m and labour over 1m. In 2018 the tors had just 124k

Partisan dealignment

Trade unions have fewer members and have lost power since the 1980’s

Political apathy shows people between 19-24 are less politically engaged

Slacktivism is increasing

Question 38

Arguments against there being a party membership crisis

Answer 38

Increasing over recent years with labour having over 500k and the conservatives reaching 200k in 2021

minor parties have done very well over the last decade - UKIP won the 2014 european parliament elections and received 3.9m votes in the 2015 general

Pressure group membership has increased, so no need to join a party

Internet based movements can be powerful with BLM having over 210k online supports in october 2020. This triggered a nationwide debate on how black history is taught