Making Of Modern Britain Flashcards
What are the positives of the 1832 reform act?
- Electorate increases to 652000.
- 56 towns with populations less than 2000 lost both of their MPs.
- Distributed MPs more.
- 30 towns with population between 2000 and 4000 lost one of their 2 MPs.
- Constituencies were divided differently to reflect the changes in towns and cities.
What were the limitations to the 1832 reform act?
- Most MPs still came from the south of England.
- A person still had to own land to become an MP.
- Still no secret ballot.
- Still only 1 in 7 adults could vote.
Did the 1832 reform act make Britain more democratic?
No as the government was not run by the people. Not every adult could vote and people from all areas should be able to vote not just people who owned land. However, they have made a change to distributing more MPs. The 6/7 that couldn’t vote thought it was a disgrace.
What are the key features of a democracy?
- The adult population has the right to vote.
- Voting carried out in secret.
- All areas of the country represented.
- Choice of candidates/ parties.
- Payment of representatives.
- Regular elections.
What is a democracy?
Government by the people; a form of government which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them or by elected agents.
What did the reform act of 1832 do?
More people were represented by MPs 1/7 could vote
What did the 2nd reform act of 1867 do?
1/3 could vote
What did the secret ballot act of 1872 do?
allowed people to vote in secret
What did the corrupt illegal practices act (CIPA) of 1883 do?
It set a maximum spend on elections
What was the positives of the parliament act 1911?
- Tried to stop the unelected House of Lords blocking legislation
- Took away the lords power over bills concerning taxation and government spending
- Could still amend or reject other bills but could only delay them for 2 parliament sessions
- Reduced the maximum length of Parliament from 7 years to 5 years
What is the positives of the payments of MPs 1911?
- Salary of £400 to be paid to be MPs
- Enabled working class men to become MPs
- Makes Parliament more representative
What is the positives of the representation of the people act (ROPA) 1918?
- 8.5 million women over 30 given the vote
- Plural voting greatly reduced
- Entire countries now single member constituencies
- Electorate trebled from 7 million to 21 million
What are the limitations to the representation of the people act (ROPA) 1918?
- Only women over 30 could vote- not reduced until 1928
* Not equal with men
Facts on the Labour Party
- The British Labour Party grew out of the table Union movement of the late 19th century
- The Labour Party was founded in 1900
- It became a focus for the working class vote
- The 1st leader was a Scotsman from Lanarkshire
- In the 1906 election they won 29 seats
What was the things that started to change for women between 1870 and 1886?
1870- Married women can keep their earnings
1882- A wife has the right to own property
1886- A husband who deserts his wife has to pay money towards her keep
1886- A mother became the legal parent of her child if the father dies
What did the conservatives think about the women wanting the vote?
Against it as they were worried women would vote for liberal or labour
What did the liberals think about women wanting the vote?
Many favoured it however, they feared that if the vote was given to them they would just vote conservatives along with their husbands.
What did labour think about women wanting the vote?
They were in favour of women suffrage but wanted all the working class men to vote first.
What did Sarah Sewel say about educated women and their housework lives?
“ The profoundly well educated women rarely make good mothers… nor do they enjoy the interesting work of attending to small children.”
What were suffragette tactics?
- Window smashing in reform street.
- Cutting phone wires
- The derby incident
- Hunger strikes
- Slashing important paintings
- Sending letter bombs
Who was Emily Davidson and what did she do?
She was a suffragette who threw herself in front of the kings horse at the derby
She was killed and it was witnessed but a huge crowd and caught on film
She became a martyr for the cause
Overall was the suffragettes campaigns successful?
Yes, even though they didn’t gain the vote they still brought it to society’s attention. What they done has still been talked about today and they have done a lot for women.
Explain what happened with the conciliation bills in 1910-1912
1911
Votes for women getting the vote= 225
Votes against= 88
Passes first reading
1912
Votes for= 208
Votes against= 222
Fails second reading
1911-1912
Suffragettes wage a violent campaign against MPs
What did Marion Wallace Dunlop do?
She was the first women to go on hunger strike
The government got scared she would die in prison
What are the successful things about the suffragette campaign?
- Brought much needed publicity to the movement
- During wild period issue of female suffragettes it was discussed daily in parliament
- Some politicians claimed they gave money the vote in 1918 to prevent a return to the cold period
- Force feeding and Cat and Mouse act was good publicity
What was the unsuccessful things about the suffragette campaigns?
- Some Argus that their ‘terrorist’ methods delayed the vote as the government couldn’t give into them
- Pro female suffrage candidates tended to do badly in elections
- Posters got ripped up
- Membership was dropped
- Caused divisions in the movements
What is the cat and mouse act?
When women went on hunger strike after a certain amount of days they would be let out. women would think they were out for good so would eat but the government would just rearrest them
In what areas did attitudes towards women change?
- Education
- Law
- Politics
- Employment