How Did Brittain Become More Democratic? Flashcards
What did Abraham Lincoln classify democracy as?
‘Government of all the people, for the people and by the people’
What did the Great Reform Act start and who did it give the vote to?
Gave vote to the middle class and started a process of reforms which would help make Britain more democratic
How did the Second Reform Act (1867) help Britain become more democratic?
It gave the vote to men who owned property or paid rent of £10 per year (skilled working class)
1/3 men could now vote
What were the Ongoing problems with the Second Reform act (1867)?
Still 2/3 of men had no right to vote
No women at all could vote
How did the Third Reform Act (1884) help Britain become more democratic
Gave the vote to men in towns/cities and countryside on an equal basis
2/3 of men could now vote
What were ongoing problems with the Third Reform Act (1884)?
Still 1/3 of men had no right to vote
Still no women could vote
How did Representation of the People Act (1918) help Britain become more democratic?
Gave the vote to all men over 21
Gave the vote to women over 30 who met certain conditions
What were ongoing problems with the Representation of the People Act (1918)?
Not all women could vote
Clear discrimination between men and women
How did Equal Franchise Act (1928) help Britain become more democratic
Gave the vote to all men and women over the age of 21
What were ongoing problems with the Equal Franchise Act (1928)
People seen as adults before the age of 21 but had no right to vote
What does All adults have the right to vote link to?
1867 Second Reform Act also removed some MPs from over-represented areas in the South of England, giving them to Scotland, Wales and the north of England and ensuring fairer representation
How did Redistribution of the Seats act (1885) help Britain become more democratic?
Took seats away from areas with a small population
Gave more seats to cities and areas such as Scotland
What were ongoing problems with the Redistribution of the Seats Act (1885)?
Rural areas still had more MPs than they should
Did not solve problem of plural voting (people voting twice)
How did the Parliment Act (1911) help Britain become more democratic?
Reduced power of House of Lords (now can only block House of Commons for 2 years)
What were ongoing problems with the Parliment Act (1911)
House of Lords could still delay legislation, even tho no member was elected
How did the Property Qualifications for MPs Act (1858) help Britain become more democratic?
Removed the need for MPs to own land in order to be elected
What were ongoing problems with the Property Qualifications For MPs Act (1858)?
Still very expensive to become an MP - both in terms of campaign and no pay - so most people were still excluded
How did the Ballot Act (1872) help Britain to become more democratic?
Introduced secret ballots when voting
Meant people could vote for whoever they wanted - ignoring employer/landlord preassure
What were ongoing problems with the Ballot Act (1872)?
Major step in helping anyone be elected
Still very expensive to campaign
How did the Corrupt and Illegal Practices Act (1883) help Britain become more democratic?
Introduced election spending limits, and outlined what the money could be spent on.
What were ongoing problems with the Corrupt and Illegal Practices Act (1883)?
Still far too expensive for most people to campaign.
How did the Parliment Act (1911) help Britain to become more democratic?
Paid MPs for the first time (£400 per year) and allowed working class to stand as MPs
What were ongoing problems with the Parliment Act (1911)
Still very expensive to campaign for election, meaning working class still struggled
How did the Ballot Act (1872) help Britain to become more democratic?
Introduced secret ballots when voting
Meant people could vote for whoever they wanted - ignoring employer/landlord preassure
What were ongoing problems with the Ballot Act (1872)
Did not fix corruption - voters often took bribes from both sides
People could still work out voting patterns in small constituencies
What does voting in secret link to?
Secret voting let working class people choose their own candidates, leading to a rise of the Labour Party and a wider political choice
How did the Formation of the Labour Party (1900) help Britain become more democratic?
Started as Labour Representation Committee in 1900
Gave a greater choice - especially to working class voters
What were ongoing problems with the Formation of the Labour Party (1900)?
Still a small choice (three major party’s)
No real alternative for working class voters who disagreed with Labour on issues
How did the Stamp duty removed from Newspapers (1855) help Britain become more democratic?
Newspapers were cheaper to buy - meant people were more informed
Newspapers sold
• 1856; 795 newspapers in UK
• 1886; 2093 newspapers in Uk
What were ongoing problems with the Stamp duty removed from Newspapers (1855)?
Not all newspapers focused on major social or political issues
How did compulsory Primary Education (1872) help Britain become more democratic?
All Scottish children received a primary education up to 13
Gave people the chance to read and think for themselves
What are ongoing problems with Compulsory Primary Education (1872)?
Still was only primary education so had limited effect
Many children still worked whilst also going to school
What did the ability to freely discuss and debate issues link to?
Better education amongst the working led to the rise of more working class MP candidates, making it easier for all people to get elected and influence the government
