Representation of the people act 1867

Question 1

Factors leading to the 1867 reform act

Answer 1

• reform union est. 1864 gained support among m/c who aimed to further own interests
• reform league est. 1865 committed to universal manhood suffrage
• increase in newspaper readership
• economic distress in northern textile towns

Question 2

1866 Liberal reform bill

Answer 2

• Gladstone introduced a reform bill in HoC - believed in ‘respectable’ w/c men
• reduce borough franchise from £10 to £7
• extend country franchise to tenants paying £14
• met with opposition from some liberals and old whigs
• split in party led to liberal government resignation

Question 3

The conservative reform bill

Answer 3

• 1867 - Lord Derby PM and Disraeli chancellor of exchequer
• wholesale household suffrage in the boroughs with no financial barriers
• proposed ‘fancy franchise’ - extra vote to professionals
• 3 ministers resigned from the cabinet

Question 4

Hodgkinson’s amendment

Answer 4

• proposed abolish the difference between those who paid their rates directly to the local authorities and those who paid indirectly
• would effectively add 400,000 voters
• Disraeli convinced backbenchers defeat of the bill would lead to a liberal election victory

Question 5

Terms of the 1867 reform act on the franchise

Answer 5

• in boroughs men occupying or owning houses if resident for 1+ year
• men who paid £10 in residents for a year
• in counties men owning or leasing land worth £5 a year
• men occupying land with a rateable value of £12 a year and who paid these rates

Question 6

Impact of the 1867 reform act on redistribution

Answer 6

• boroughs with pop less than 10,000 lost one or both MPs
• eleven more constituencies created
• MPs for big cities such as Manchester increased 2-3
• English and Welsh counties allocated 25 extra MPs
• Scotland gained 5 more seats

Question 7

Positive impacts of the 1867 reform act on the franchise

Answer 7

• electorate doubled to 2 million men
• number of w/c voters rose significantly
• w/c voters became more politically conscious

Question 8

Limitations of the 1867 reform act on the franchise

Answer 8

• universal male suffrage not achieved 1/3 men could vote
• anyone who had to move house looking for work would lose their vote
• other adult male members of the family could not vote

Question 9

Impact of the 1867 reform act on political parties

Answer 9

• political parties needed the support of voters
• new voters tended to vote liberal
• throughout 1870s both governments passed reforms tackling social issues
• shift of political influence towards industrial towns

Question 10

Ballot act 1872

Answer 10

• Gladstone concerned with corruption and intimidation during voting
• supported implementation of a secret ballot
• some opposed as old elections seen as honourable - secret voting cowardly

Question 11

Corrupt and illegal practices prevention act 1883

Answer 11

• each candidate to have an election agent who produced a report on election expenses
• imposed a maximum expenditure for constituencies
• penalties for corrupt practices

Question 12

How effective was the corrupt practices act

Answer 12

• alleged corruption records dropped
• average spent per vote fell
• parties relied more on volunteers than paid election workers