Booklet 3 Essay Plan - Consequences of the Reform Acts

Question 1

Electorate - size

Answer 1

• Fact: 1832 - The size of the electorate rose from 366,000 to 650,000 (approximately 18% of the population)
• Explanation: Although this had its limitations the passing of the bill gave hope to reformers that further change could be possible.

Question 2

Electorate - property qualification for voting

Answer 2

• Fact: 1832 - Property qualification for voting in counties was reduced to men who owned land worth £10/year or rented land worth £50/year
• Explanation: The middle class were being given a say on politics and the 1832 reform act was seen as a clear way of subduing this threat.
  Although middle-classes undoubtedly gained far more representation, the working class was still decidedly unrepresented and as such were constantly exploited as they could not articulate their issues

Question 3

Electorate - increased electorate

Answer 3

• Fact: 1867 - Electorate increased to 1/3 of all adult males
• Explanation: Due to this increase parties realised the importance of campaigning in order to win votes
• This meant that the parties represented the people more and took public interest into account

Question 4

Electorate - voters

Answer 4

• Fact: 1867 - There were 2.46 million voters across the country including the working class
• Explanation: Although there was an increase, Britain was still fairly corrupt with no secret ballot and other means to corruption still endemic

Question 5

Change to Politicians - middle class

Answer 5

• Fact: 1832 - Increased involvement in politics by the middle class (due to the Municipal Corporation Act of 1835) particularly in local government
• Explanation: Key figures emerged to represent the people in industrial areas because they had the right to vote and dealt with everyday issues such as education and public health

Question 6

Change to politicians - contested seats

Answer 6

• Fact: 1832 - There was a significant increase in the number of contested seats (from 30% before 1832 to 50% after)
• Explanation: The increased numbers of voters led to the development of permanent party organisations with agents who helped register voters. Party discipline began to increase which meant more politicians voted as their party wanted, not as they might have freely chosen

Question 7

Change to politicians - political figures

Answer 7

• Fact: 1867 - Gladstone toured the country giving speeches
• Explanation: Parties began to realise the importance of campaigning in order to win votes. This meant that the parties had to represent the people more and take public interests into account

Question 8

Effect on upper class/Representation - borough disenfranchise

Answer 8

• Fact: 1832 - 56 boroughs were disenfranchised with a further 30 losing one of the MPs. 42 new boroughs were created. Of these 42 new boroughs, 22 were new, 2-member constituencies created for new industrial towns such as Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham
• Explanation: Helped to redress some of the problems with the old system, however the South still remained over-represented compared to the North and midlands

Question 9

Effect on upper class/Representation - middle class

Answer 9

• Fact: 1832 - Very few middle class people joined parliament: of the 103 individuals who served in cabinets from 1830-66, only 14 were from the middle class
• Explanation: Because of the lack of salary and its full-time nature, most middle-class men could not afford to become MPs. This meant that the composition of parliament remained largely unaltered from what it had been before 1832, with no immediate influx of middle class MPs

Question 10

Effect on upper class/Representation - redistribution of power

Answer 10

• Fact: 1867 - 45 seats were taken from boroughs with fewer than 10,000 people, and 7 were completely disenfranchised
• Explanation: The redistribution of several seats to larger cities such as Liverpool and Manchester meant that, after 1867, political power began to shift to the largest section of society (the workers) as opposed to the wealthiest

Question 11

Effect on upper class/Representation - doubled electorate

Answer 11

• Fact: 1867 - Almost 1 million new voters were added to the franchise virtually doubling the electorate of Britain
• Explanation: The act created a more diverse electorate since the new voters included urban skilled workers (in 1832, new voters were mostly middle class and conservative) and the voting population increased to ⅓ of all adult males.