Democracy (1918)

Question 1

Intro (background)

Answer 1

A democracy can be defined as a system in which the people have some say or influence in politics.

Question 2

Intro (background)

Answer 2

In 1850, Britain was far from being a “democracy”; politics were reserved only for the wealthy elite in a system which was rife with corruption.

Question 3

Intro (factors)

Answer 3

In order to establish how far Britain had become a democracy, it is necessary to to look at a number of different factors: the right to vote, free and fair elections, equal constituencies, the opportunity to become an MP and the House of Lords.

Question 4

Intro (argument)

Answer 4

However, within the next century it is possible to argue that the British political system gradually evolved towards greater democracy but by 1918 was still not totally democratic.

Question 5

Right to Vote (link)

Answer 5

Probably the most important democratic right is the right to vote with universal suffrage.

Question 6

Right to Vote (knowledge)

Answer 6

Without this right the people of a country cannot influence political decisions. The franchise was extended a number of times.

Question 7

Right to Vote (knowledge)

Answer 7

In 1867 most skilled working class men in towns got the vote meaning that 1 in 3 men could vote. In 1884, most men in the countryside were added to the franchise. In 1918, men over 21 and women over 30 got the vote.

Question 8

Right to Vote (analysis)

Answer 8

This was important because a much wider electorate had been created and voting was no longer confined to the privileged few. Working class voters now outnumbered the wealthy and middle and upper classes.

Question 9

Right to Vote (analysis +)

Answer 9

However, there was not yet universal suffrage as many younger women had to wait until 1928 to receive the vote on an equal footing with men. Furthermore, undemocratic practices such as plural voting still continued so the principle of “one person, one vote” had not been achieved.

Question 10

Right to Vote (evaluation)

Answer 10

Clearly, by 1918, Britain had made significant steps towards becoming a “true democracy” but still fell short of providing equal voting rights for all its citizens for example, only 40% of women could vote.

Question 11

Free and Fair elections (link)

Answer 11

For a country to be democratic people have to be able to vote in elections free of intimidation or bribery.

Question 12

Free and Fair Elections (knowledge)

Answer 12

The unfair practice of open public voting in a hustings was ended in 1872 when the Secret Ballot Act allowed people to vote in private for the first time.

Question 13

Free and Fair Elections (knowledge)

Answer 13

In 1883 the corrupt and illegal practices act made bribery, treating and election fraud criminal offences so they were cut out almost completely.

Question 14

Free and Fair Elections (analysis)

Answer 14

This was important because voters now had the freedom to cast their vote without the threat of losing their home or job or being enticed to vote for the wealthiest candidate.

Question 15

Free and Fair Elections (analysis +)

Answer 15

However, politicians found new ways to persuade people to vote for them: Politicians such as William Gladstone now began to ‘reach out’ to the voters by making speeches and making pledges to the voters.

Question 16

Free and Fair Elections (evaluation)

Answer 16

Overall, Britain was making great steps towards becoming a true democracy, however the lack of universal suffrage meant not everyone could vote in them making them less democratic.

Question 17

Equal Constituencies (link)

Answer 17

Another key factor in the development of a democracy was equal constituencies.

Question 18

Equal Constituencies (knowledge)

Answer 18

The 1832 Reform Act abolished “rotten boroughs” meaning towns with very few voters no longer had large amounts of MPs that could buy their way to victory.

Question 19

Equal Constituencies (knowledge)

Answer 19

In 1867 industrial towns gained more MPs meaning they could have a bigger say in British politics. But it was the 1885 Redistribution Act that created equal constituencies.

Question 20

Equal Constituencies (analysis)

Answer 20

This was important because large cities like London or Glasgow now had enough MPs to suit their population (one MP per 50 000 people) and this made it easier for people to voice their concerns in parliament.

Question 21

Equal Constituencies (analysis +)

Answer 21

However,Universities such as Oxford University and Cambridge University remained university constituencies which elected a MP.

Question 22

Equal Constituencies (evaluation)

Answer 22

Therefore, every town/city in Britain had an MP(s) that was easy to access making Britain more democratic.

Question 23

Opportunity to Become and MP (link)

Answer 23

For Britain to be democratic, then everyone should be able to become an MP.

Question 24

Opportunity to Become and MP (knowledge)

Answer 24

The 1911 Payment of MPs Act provided £400 and allowed working class men to become MPs, this meant that men could become MPs without having to worry about income.

Question 25

Opportunity to Become and MP (analysis)

Answer 25

This was important because it allowed every man the opportunity to become an MP which gave the lower/working class a bigger say in politics. Furthermore, working class men could now voice their concerns in politics which would give them more help and possibly even money.

Question 26

Opportunity to Become and MP (analysis +)

Answer 26

However, women were still hugely underrepresented and had no MPs sitting in parliament before 1918.

Question 27

Opportunity to Become an MP (evaluation)

Answer 27

This means Britain was making great progress in becoming a democracy, but still didn’t involve women as representatives, this means that Britain was not a proper democracy yet. Nancy Astor was the first female MP in 1919.

Question 28

House of Lords (link)

Answer 28

A final democratic feature Britain needed was a democratic, elected House of Lords.

Question 29

House of Lords (knowledge)

Answer 29

Hereditary power was not fair because it meant a man’s title could reserve him a place in politics. The 1911 Parliament Act stripped the House of Lords of power so they could no longer veot or delay “money bills”.

Question 30

House of Lords (analysis)

Answer 30

This was important because it meant the House of Lords couldn’t veto bills passed by the House of Commons.

Question 31

House of Lords (analysis)

Answer 31

Furthermore, this gave more power to the more democratic House of Commons in parliament- they were able to pass bills without having to worry about the House of Lords denying their request, this gave them more say in parliament.

Question 32

House of Lords (analysis +)

Answer 32

However, The House of Lords had the power to delay a new act for 2 years, until the Parliament Act of 1949 which restricted this to 1 year.

Question 33

House of Lords (evaluation)

Answer 33

So although Britain was becoming more democratic, the House of Lords was still unelected (and still is to this day) giving them hereditary power, meaning they weren’t a true democracy yet. Even our head of state is based on hereditary power.

Question 34

Conclusion (opening)

Answer 34

By 1918 Britain can’t be described as being fully democratic; although great progress had been made in reducing corruption during elections and equalising constituencies, other criteria for a democratic system had not yet been met, for example the universal suffrage and the removal of hereditary power from the system.

Question 35

Conclusion (link)

Answer 35

The British political system had evolved many democratic features since changes began in the 1850s.

Question 36

Conclusion (elections)

Answer 36

Elections were now corruption free making them fairer.

Question 37

Conclusion (constituencies)

Answer 37

Constituencies were based on population size.

Question 38

Conclusion (opportunity to become an MP)

Answer 38

Becoming an MP was easier allowing working class men to stand for election.

Question 39

Conclusion (right to vote)

Answer 39

And universal manhood suffrage was now a reality.

Question 40

Conclusion (argument)

Answer 40

However, by 1918 there were still many undemocratic features. Only 40% of women could vote and there were no female MPs. Plural voting still existed which was undemocratic, and it wasn’t stopped until 1949.

Question 41

Conclusion (argument)

Answer 41

The House of Lords was still unelected meaning hereditary power still existed. All of these features mean Britain was not fully democratic by 1918.