Increasing democracy (1846-85) Flashcards
Describe the state of British democracy in 1850?
In 1850, few of the principles of what is now seen as representative government had been achieved. The population of GB stood at around 21 million, of whom only a tiny fraction where involved in the political process
Why can the 1832 GRA be seen as symbolically important in bringing about democracy?
The 1832 GRA can be seen as heralding a new era of a more popular and democratic form of politics in Britain
Describe how the momentum did not continue after the 1832 GRA
However, since this initial extension of the franchise to middle class men, little further progress had been made towards a more democratic society
How did the mid Victorian era economic boom aid democracy and what is the caveat to this idea?
Although the increasing prosperity of the mid-Victoria economic boom meant that more men held property of the value that allowed them to vote, there were still fewer than a million voters
Why could working class men not vote?
Working class men could not vote, not because they belonged to the working class per se, but because the qualifications for the franchise were too high for them to meet
Why did the redistribution of seats become more necessary?
The rapidly increasing population and ongoing urbanisation made some redistribution of seats vital to achieve fair representation
Describe G’s 1866 Reform Bill
In response to renewed interest and pressure for parliamentary reform, Gladstone and Lord Russell, the then L PM, drew up a Reform Bill. It proposed a relaxation of the voting qualifications to give a vote to skilled workers, living mainly in the industrial towns, and to smallholders in the counties
Why did the bill fail?
The Bill was thrown out, not by C opposition, but from a group within the L party, who claimed the reform would give political power to the ‘ignorant’
What did the bill mean for the L party?
It was a humiliating defeat for the Ls, who resigned from office
What was the response to the failure of the 1866 Reform Bill?
The Reform League responded by organising demonstrations across the country. The message to the C government was clear. The protestors were not going to give up until they had obtained ‘registered, residential male suffrage, as the only just basis of representation and the secret ballot to protect them from undue influence and intimidation in elections’
How much did the 1867 Reform Act increase the electorate?
Doubled the amount of voters from 1.2 million to 2.5 million, which was roughly one third of the adult male population
Why did the act not change anything for women?
No women could vote
What type of area did the act most profoundly affect?
The greatest increase in voters occurred in the boroughs, where skilled workers were given the vote for the first time
Why was the act not helpful for most of the working class?
An elitist perception continued among the political classes that fitness to vote was not just based on income, but on wide use of income – using it to secure a stable home. Therefore, the poorer, generally unskilled and largely uneducated working class, who had no ability to save nor security of tenure, were still excluded
Why was the impact of this victory for the Artisan class limited?
The impact of this landmark victory for the artisan class was reduced because of the limited nature of redistribution. For instance, Bham, Liverpool and Manchester, with their huge pops, were only given one additional seat to the two they already had. Overall, the redistribution of seats did not correspond to pop size in any given area, Rural areas remained over represented, while the industrial north, Midlands and Scotland remained under represented. Boroughs with a population just over 10,000 had the same representation as boroughs with a pop of almost 400,000
What was there still a distinction between despite the act?
The distinction between county and borough franchise was maintained
