History of Suffrage in the UK Flashcards
1832
-Great Reform Act
-expanded the franchise to 8% of the population
-Created constituencies in urban centers where there previously where none
-First step to expanding the franchise
-However one could argue this was simply a consolidation of aristocratic power, only extending the franchise to industralists, people who owned more than 10 pounds in property
Chartists’ petition
-Secret Ballot
-Parliamentary election every year
-Expanded the franchise to all men
-Representation for every area in the Nation
Chartists
Group of working men who emerged after the passing of the Great Reform Act and heightening class divisions of industrial revolution. Had up to 3 million signatures on their petition
1867
Second Reform Act gave many working men the vote. 2.5M could vote
1872
Ballot Act introduced the secret ballot
Suffragists
-National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies established in 1897
-Mainly middle-class women who believed in non-violent methods of persuasion such as peaceful demonstrations, petitions and lobbying MPs
Suffragettes
Women’s Social and Political Union established in 1903 by Emmeline Pankhurst, a former suffragist
-Attracted both working class and middle class support
-Used more militant tactics
-E.g. in 1913 a suffragette threw herself under the king’s horse at the Epsom Derby
Public attitude towards Suffragettes
-Attracted hostility but also sympathy
-Imprisoned Suffragettes resorted to hunger strikes, to which authorities responded with force-feeding
-This gave the movement valuable publicity and depicted the Liberal government as unreasonably harsh
Suffragette movement effectiveness
-Some argue that the violent methods of the suffragettes alienated potential supporters
-Others argue that the suffragette movement was successful in pressuring the government to cave in fear of further pressure
-Another argument is that the role of Women in WW1, taking on traditionally male-dominated jobs, proved to the government their fitness to work
1918 Representation of the People Act
-Act granted all men over 21 and all women over 30 who were householders or wives of householders the vote
-It was passed as there was growing pressure to give all working class men the vote, considering the fact they had no stake in the political system they were expected to lay down their lives for in WWI
Arguments for Votes at 16
-16 year olds have other legal rights, such as leaving school, starting work and joining the armed forces
-Political awareness and participation from an early age
-Granting of vote to 16 and 17 year olds in Scottish elections has led to increased political engagement
-16 year olds could engage on issues relevant to them such as university tuition fees
Arguments against Votes at 16
-16 year olds lack necessary life experience and maturity to vote
-Some are not educated thoroughly on politics, however the same could be said of adults
-Relatively few countries grant 16 year olds the right to vote
-Voter turnout is low among 18-24 year olds, suggests that it may be the same among 16-17 year olds.
Arguments for compulsory voting
-Voting is a social duty as well as a right
-Parliament would be more representative of the population
-Politicians would have to run their campaigns with the whole electorate in mind
-People could still spoil their ballot papers and not vote
Arguments against compulsory voting
-In a preferential voting system, where candidates have to be ranked, it may just lead to many putting them in the order they are presented
-It is undemocratic to force people and should be a matter of choice
-It doesn’t address the deeper reasons why people decide not to vote
Arguments for Prisoners getting the right to vote
-Voting is a fundamental right, in Hirst v UK (2005), the ECHR ruled that a blanket ban on prisoners voting is contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights
-Losing the vote is unlikely to be a deterrent to crime
-Losing the vote removes civic responsibility, further alienates prisoners from society
