Democracy And Participation: How Suffrage Has Developed In Britain Since 1832 Flashcards
Which act was the emergence of democracy in Britain?
The Great Reform Act 1832
How did universal suffrage develop in Britain?
Via evolutionary rather than a revolutionary process
How much of the population was allowed to vote in 1832?
2.7%
What are the main Acts that extended universal suffrage in the UK?
The Great Reform Act 1832, Second Reform Act 1867, Third Reform Act 1884, Representation of the People Act 1918, Representation of the People Act 1928 and Representation of the People Act 1969
What is the Great Reform Act 1832?
Passed by the Whig government of Lord Grey, where 1 in 5 adult males became available to vote, compromising of 5.6% of the population, giving the vote to working class men and abolished ‘rotten boroughs’ such as Old Sarum, which were constituencies that had almost no voters but elected 2 MPs
What is the Second Reform Act 1867?
Passed by the Conservative of Disraeli, allowing many working-class men to vote, doubling the size of the electorate, roughly 1/3 of all men could now vote, though retained the difference between boroughs and counties
What is the Third Reform Act 1884?
Passed by Gladstone’s Liberal government, it established a uniform franchise across the country for men, with all working men who met a property qualification could now vote, with around 40% of adult men still excluded, mainly working-class living in rural counties
What is the Representation of the People Act 1918?
A product of the social and polticla changes caused by WW1, passed by David Lloyd George’s wartime coalition government, all men of 21 (or 19 for veterans) could vote and women over 30 who met property qualification could now vote
What is the Representation of the People Act 1918?
A product of the social and polticla changes caused by WW1, passed by David Lloyd George’s wartime coalition government, all men of 21 (or 19 for veterans) could vote and women over 30 who met property qualification could now vote
What is the Representation of the People Act 1928?
Passed by Baldwin’s Conservative government, women finally received the vote on equal terms to men, with all men and women over 21 now eligible to vote, with all property qualifications removed
What is the Representation of the People Act 1969
Passed by Harold Wilson’s Labour government, with the voting age universally lowered to 18
When was the secret ballot established?
In 1872
When was direct bribery of voters banned?
In 1883
When was the redrawing of constituency boundaries to make them more equal in terms of population?
In 1885
With what act did the Chartists emerge as a pressure group?
Great Reform Act 1832
What were the ‘Six Points of the People’s Charter’ that the Chartists demanded the adoption by parliament?
1) All men to have the vote irrespective of wealth or property ownership
2) voting should take place by secret ballot
3) Parliamentary elections every year, not once every 7 years
4) Equally sized constituencies
5) MPs should be paid
6) The property qualification for becoming a MP should be abolished
What was the main tactic of the Chartists?
Compilation and submission to parliament of 3 minster petitions in 1839, 1842 and 1848 that contained up to 6 million signatures, though some were of dubious authenticity
What other political movements did the Chartists inspire?
The Reform League
What were the Chartists primarily concerned with ending?
The Aristocratic domination of politics by a small wealthy elite, believing they ruled for their own selfish interest
Why were the wealthy elite alarmed at giving the vote to the working class for several reasons?
They believed working-class men were too poorly educated to use their vote wisely and understand political issues, they might use their power and seize the wealth of the rich and privileged and feared radical change might threaten Britain’s global wealth and expanding trading empire
When did the women’s suffrage movement originated in the UK?
The 1860s
What were the 2 main groups to emerge from the women’s suffrage movement?
The suffragists (National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies) firmed in 1897 from the merging of several suffrage groups and the suffragettes (Women’s Social and Political Union) formed in 1903 led by Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters Sylvia and Christabel
What was the difference between the suffragists and the suffragettes?
The suffragist focused on peaceful and constitutional methods that included meeting, handing out, leaflets, petitions, marches and lobbying, while the suffragists were more militant and prepared to break the law, which included chaining themselves to railing, heckling and disrupting public meetings and criminal damage/arosn
How much support did the suffragists have in 1914?
100,000 members
What act did the Suffragettes have made after they frequently went on hunger strike?
The Cat and Mouse Act
When was the first person of colour to be elected as MP in the UK?
1987
In 2019 how many MPs were from a minority ethnic group?
10%
From a Electoral Commission report in November 2019 how many Black and how many Asian voters had to registered to vote in Great Britain?
Black: 25%
Asian: 24%
What pressure groups focus on getting minority ethnic groups to vote?
Operation Black Vote
