How Britain Became More Democratic Flashcards
intro
Britain was an undemocratic country before 1851. Women, the working class, the middle class, and the poor didn’t have the right to vote. There was also widespread corruption in the British political system and voting was done publicly. Society started to challenge this in 1851. This essay will discuss how WW1, the industrial revolution, pressure groups, developments abroad and party advantage led to Britain becoming a more democratic country. This essay will argue that the industrial revolution was the most important reason why Britain became more democratic.
para 1 - KU
The first factor to be discussed is the Industrial Revolution. Between the 1750s and the 1840s, Britain went through major changes linked to new advances in technology. This brought the middle and working classes together as they both worked in factories and realised their position in society and longed to get more power in the British political system.
Railways in Britain also grew - going from 7360 km of track in 1848 to 45.3 million in 1911. This new railway network had a large impact on British politics as politicians and political campaigners had the opportunity to travel across the country like never before. Newspaper production also increased due to this new network.
para 1 - important A
It could be argued that the industrial revolution was important because the working class became more aware of their lack of power and called for change. Furthermore, the growth of railways meant people became more politically engaged since they had been educated on politics
para 1 - unimportant A
However, it could be argued that the industrial revolution was not important as the industrial revolution began in the 1750s and ended in the 1850s which is almost 100 years before equal voting was achieved in Britain.
para 1 - E
Overall, the industrial revolution was the most important factor in making Britain more democratic as it led to an increase in the political engagement in Britain. Railways growth meant newspapers were being spread around which educated people on issues affecting them and ultimately led to action. The working and middle class became aware of their lack of power despite their economic status and appealed for change. They worked together to try and get the vote.
para 2 - KU
The first factor to be discussed is WWI. During WWI, there had been plans to change rules regarding male suffrage as many men returning home from war could have potentially found themselves disqualified from voting due to the residence qualifications. Additionally, women took over traditionally male jobs (e.g working in factories to make weapons) during the war as many men were out on the battlefield and couldn’t fulfil their previous jobs.
para 2 - important A
It could be argued that WW1 was important in making Britain more democratic because it would have been impossible for the government to force men to fight and then deny them the vote. Women were also given the vote as a “thank you” for their war effort since they had proved to the government that they were worthy of the vote.
para 2 - unimportant A
However, it could be argued that WWI wasn’t the most important factor in making Britain more democratic because men had fought in wars previously, such as the Boer war, and weren’t given the vote afterwards. Along with this, many of the women who did the important war work were single and under 30, the very women who were not given the vote after WWI.
para 2 - E
Overall, WWI was a significant factor in making Britain more democratic because it made the government consider, and later follow through with, the idea of giving more people in Britain the vote as they refused to promise “homes for heroes” to soldiers coming back from war yet democratically, citizens were able to decide how the country was being operated. However, it is not as important as the Industrial Revolution as ultimately more people were made aware of political news and reform through the extension of railways (newspaper production increases and politicians and political campaigners could travel the country) and the growing awareness of the middle class, which led to the government giving more people the vote.
para 3 - KU
The third factor to be discussed is pressure groups. In 1864, the National Reform Union formed to promote the idea of joint interest between the working class and the middle class. They campaigned for a secret ballot and votes for all rate-payers. Thirty-three years later, the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) was established to coordinate the women’s suffrage societies that had been emerging at a local level. The suffragists wanted to gain women the vote and used peaceful methods of protests.
para 3 - important A
t could be argued that pressure groups were important because they helped to bring democratic issues to public attention and they gave people that couldn’t vote a chance to have political influence. In addition, groups like the suffragists gained the support of politicians because of their peaceful tactics.
para 3 - unimportant A
However, it could be argued that pressure groups were not because groups like the Reform League and Suffragettes used more radical and violent methods to put pressure on the government and protest which meant that the Government -/discredited them and felt that they were undeserving of the vote. Altogether, it could be said that they damaged their cause instead of furthering it.
para 3 - E
Overall, pressure group were a significant factor in making Britain more democratic as they gained publicity by putting pressure on the government which enlightened the public on political issues but the industrial revolution was more important as it also bought political issues to the public’s attention (through the use of newspapers and railways) and also led to the middle and working classes realising their place in society and asking for change. The industrial revolution paved the way for pressure groups as the working and middle classes put in place the stepping stones for pressure groups to realise their place in society and call for change from the government, this time by using more forceful methods
para 4 - KU
The final factor to be discussed is developments abroad. During the early part of the 19th century, pressure for more democracy increased and many politicians favoured granting limited political reforms instead of risking revolution. Furthermore, political revolutions were taking place around the world from the 1700s to the 1900s. This included the French Revolution of 1789 which resulted in an increased interest in democracy across Europe.
para 4 - important A
It could be argued that developments abroad were important because the British government tended to support democratic reform in other countries which made it seem logical that said support should encourage democratic moves in Britain. Also, these uprisings demonstrated the destructive power of the dissatisfied working class, which showed politicians what would happen throughout the country if change wasn’t enacted. In addition, there was a belief that if it could happen in other countries, it could also happen in Britain.
para 4 - unimportant A
However, it could be argued that developments were not important as the rise of the democratic Labour party suggests little or no working class demands for violent revolution. This implies that there would be no reason for the government to feel pressured into introducing reforms.
para 4 - E
Overall, whilst developments abroad were important in making Britain more democratic, they weren’t as important as the industrial revolution. Developments abroad were supported by the British government which created a belief that if it could happen in other countries, it could happen in Britain but that wasn’t nearly enough for the government to enact change. Without the industrial revolution, those of lower status wouldn’t have banded together to fight for more democracy which lead to the demand for democracy in Britain.
para 5 - KU
Another factor to be discussed is party advantage. Before 1900, there were two political parties - Liberal and Conservative. In 1900, the Labour party was created. The idea that a political party could gain support by passing reforms led to democratic change in Britian and public figures who supported reform became popular with the public. In 1918, the Liberals were worried about the growing threat of the Labour party so gave the vote to all men over 21 and some women over 30. They did this in the hope that it would attract working class women and male voters.
para 5 - important A
It coud be argued that party advantage was important as if the Liberals weren’t threatened by Labour they likely wouldn’t have offered the vote to so many new groups of people. The fear that they would lose their working class support base forced them to do this.
para 5 - unimportant A
However, it could be argued that party advantage wasn’t important as whilst party advantage might have had influence on the Liberals actions, it wan’t the only factor. The ‘New Liberals’ including David Lloyd George had taken power and they genuinely supported a fairer voting system, it wasn’t just to gain party advantage.
para 5 - E
Overall, whilst party advantage was important, the Industruial Revolution was more significant because the Liberals wouldn’t have had to worry about losing their working class voters if the Industrial Revolution hadn’t made the working and middle classes realise their positions in society and fight for more political rights.
conclusion
In conclusion, whilst the other factors outlined were important to a certain extent, the industrial revolution was more important than WWI because although the government extended the franchise after WWI, the industrial revolution saw the extension of railways which lead to political news and campaigns being spread all across the country which lead to people realising that change was needed. The industrial revolution was more important than pressure groups because although pressure groups allowed the those without the vote to speak up and ask for the vote, the industrial revolution is what made those of lower class realise that they too deserved the vote, leading to the demand for more democracy in Britain. The industrial revolution was more important than developments abroad because although Britain could have been affected by developments in other countries there isn’t any evidence that there was a demand for revolution at this time whilst the industrial revolution is what made people realise that democracy was needed in Britain and started the demand for change. Overall, the industrial revolution was the most important reason why Britain became more democratic as the working class realised that uniting together could result in change and the growth of railways across the country allowed everyone to be informed of political news, as well as allowing politicians and political campaigners to travel across the country like never before to spread their political message to the masses.
