How Democratic Was Britain? Flashcards
State the factors from most to least important.
Widening of the Franchise
Fairness
Choice and Access
Participation
Accountability
Redistribution of seats
State 2 Background Points for the Introduction
1800 - 4% of people in Britain could vote.
1832-1867 Power was in the hands of the upper classes with the most power lying in the landowning class.
The vote was considered a privilege not a right.
Industrial Revolution created new urban areas - changed the political landscape.
Old democratic model did not fit with the change - it was based on the majority of people living in the countryside.
Widening of the Franchise -
Second Reform Act 1867
Granted the vote to all property owners in boroughs and those that paid £10 a year in rent. In counties it was given to ratepayers and those who leased land valued at £5 per year. 1 in 3 males could now vote.
Widening of the Franchise -
Third Reform Act 1884
Introduced by Gladstone’s government. Gave the vote to all men who paid a yearly rent of £10 and owned property worth £10 or above. The electorate rose to 5,500,000.
Widening of the Franchise -
The Representation of the People Act 1918
Post war ear. The act abolished practically all property qualifications for men. Nearly all men over the age of 21 could vote. The act also included men over the age of 19 who had served in the army. Women over the age of 30 were enfranchised if they owned property, or were married to someone who owned property over the value of £5 or who were universe graduates. Women now made up 40% of the electorate.
Widening of the Franchise -
Equal Franchise Act 1928
Granted votes to women over the age of 2021.
Widening of the Franchise Analysis Points
Dependent of the Year - More democratic based on whoever has the vote.
Widening of the Franchise Analysis+ Points
Still limited - should voting age be reduced to 18?
Before 1928 working class women did not have the vote and no women under 30 had the vote.
Widening of the Franchise Evaluation and Quote from historian Annette Mayor.
“it was clear that power was increasingly invested in the people and that the government had to be accountable to them.”
The government now had to look after the interests of everyone who had the vote not just themselves and the upper class. The working class had more sway in the decisions of the government.
Fairness
Ballot Act 1872
Introduced secret ballots during elections. The act introduced secret ballots in local and general elections, votes were cast in a voting booth, by putting an X next to the candidate of choice and then placing the folded ballot paper into a ballot box.
Fairness
Hustings
Candidates were historically voted for in hustings. (This meant that voters would cast their vote by a raise of hands, stating their choices out loud to a room, r marking it on a paper in front of others). The voters’ name and who they had voted for would be published in the local papers the next day. This allowed for a culture of bribery and intimidation to exist.
Fairness
Corrupt and Illegal Practices Act 1883
Campaigning for an election was very expensive. Not only did candidates have to pay for polling stations, clerks and local offices, but they also had to spend money on entertainment to gain votes. The 1883 legislation set a cap on how much candidates could spend during elections. Caps were determined by the number of voters in a constituency. £710 for the first 1000 voters and £40 for every additional 1000 voters. The act also made it illegal to bribe voters. Fines and prison sentences were punishment for bribery. Any candidate found guilty could not stand for election for 7 years and could not stand in the same constituency.
Fairness Analysis Points
Spending Cap - Levelled the playing field between candidates
Secret Ballot - Anonymous votes meant voters could vote for their preferred candidate.
Bribery and Intimidation - Far less due to becoming Illegal
Fairness Analysis+ Points
Secret Ballot - Voters could potentially accept bribes from multiple parties and no one would be able to actually check who they voted for.
Fairness Evaluation and Historian Annette Mayer Quote
“The removal of patronage was an essential prerequisite to the establishment of democracy.”
Without the limit on costs the party with the most money would almost always win defeating the point of holding elections.
Choice and Access
3 Knowledge Points
The creation of the Labour Party in the late 19th century.
The creation of Railways.
!870s, Education Acts, improved education on England and Wales.
Choice and Access Analysis Points
More party options - represented different classes.
Railways - Enabled information to be spread across Britain.
Education Acts - Could make better informed decisions about politics.
Choice and Access Analysis+ Points
Railways - Not everywhere was connected so those places had far less access to information.
Parties - Only one party that had the working class fully in their interest whilst the wealthy class had two.
Participation
Limitations on becoming an MP in 1926.
A quarter of all MPs were the sons of peers and a third were related to aristocracy. Becoming an MP was highly expensive and most middle and work class people could not have afforded it. Property qualifications meant that only those earning £600 a year from land could stand for election.
Participation
In 1858 what happen to property qualification for MPs?
They were abolished.
Participation
What was introduced in 1911 to allow people with less money to become an MP.
A salary of £400 was introduced.
Participation Analysis Points
The abolition of property qualifications was a significant move away from MPs being people who owned land. The 1911 act helped as it allowed those who were not wealthy to run for office and every demographic could be covered.
Participation Analysis+ Points
With the exception of Disraeli, all prime ministers from 1867 to 1918 were from wealthy families showing that those in high positions in government were still the wealthy. Also, women were less likely to stand, the first female MP wasn’t elected until 1918.
Accountability
House of Lords before 1867
House of Lords by 1928
Before 1867 the House of Lords had more power than the House of Commons. This was undemocratic as the House of Lords was unelected. They got their peerages by inheritance, gift or they bought them.
By 1928 the House of Lords had lost some powers such as the ability to interfere with government budgets.
