Unit 6: Democracy & Political Participation Flashcards
Franchise
Those who are eligible to vote in elections
Suffrage
The right to vote
Timeline of who could vote and when? Why?
- Pre 1832 - upper class land owning men (less than 4% of pop) - based on amount of land
- 1832 Great Reform Act - upper and middle class men (300,000 more people, 5.6% of pop) - based on value of property not land because of mid class campaigns
- Representation of the People Act 1918 - all women over 30 and men over 21 - women could divorce husbands and keep own property, WWI meant people thought that lower classes fought hard so deserved the franchise - Lloyd George PM
- Representation of the People Act 1928 - all citizens over 21 (5 million more women) - NUSEC led by Eleanor rathbone - campaigned peacefully for equal pay and equality in franchise
- Representation of the People Act 1969 - anyone over 18 - since WWII, 18 year olds got more employment and financial independence - 1965 Lately committee said 18 year olds were more physically developed, more mature and better informed due to TV
Which 4 acts expanded the franchise?
- 1832 Great Reform Act
- Representation of the People Act 1918
- Representation of the People Act 1928
- Representation of the People Act 1969
Debates on suffrage in the UK: gender?
-Women were traditionally seen as ‘the weaker sex’, both physically and mentally.
-They were not considered to have sufficient education or intelligence to be trusted with the vote.
-Opponents of women’s suffrage in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries argued that women were too emotional to vote rationally.
-Traditionalists felt that a woman’s place was in the home, tending to her family. Politics would distract her.
Debates on suffrage in the UK: class?
-The wealthy elite who held the franchise before 1832 worried that their power would be reduced if people from other classes had the vote.
-There were fears that working-class men were too poorly educated to understand political issues.
-Some feared the working class would support socialism, threatening the economic welfare of other classes.
-The contribution and sacrifice of working-class men during the First World War meant that denying them the vote could no longer be justified.
Debates on suffrage in the UK: ethnicity?
There were (and are) no ethnic qualifications for voting in the UK.
Debates on suffrage in the UK: age?
-Younger people were not seen as having sufficient political education, independence or maturity. People aged 18 to 20 years old only received the vote in 1969.
-Young women aged 21 to 29 were denied the vote in 1918, despite their contribution to the war effort. They were considered more emotional and unstable than older women.
Today, there is a campaign to give 16- and 17-year-olds the vote.
-16- and 17-year-olds were allowed to vote in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, as it was recognised that the referendum result would affect the rest of their lives. They had a higher turnout than 18- to 24-year-olds.
-16- and 17-year-olds can vote in elections for the Scottish Parliament and councils. They will soon be able to vote in Welsh local elections.
-The Labour Party, the Scottish National Party (SNP), the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and the Green Party all support the Votes at 16 campaign, as does the Electoral Reform Society.
Suffragettes vs Suffragists (with key definitions)
Suffragettes
-Violent
-Got arrested
-Suffragettes - women members of the groups that were violent and aggressive and indulged in acts of violence to draw peoples attention to their cause
Suffragists
-Peaceful
-Sent letters
-Signed petitions
-Suffragists - generic term that’s includes not just women but also men who supported the cause of womens suffrage - behaved in a peaceful manner and sent letters to their elected representatives to raise voice in their support
Who led the Suffragists? What was their official name?
Millicent Fawcett
National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS)
What did the suffragists do? With examples?
-Millicent Fawcett felt that any violence or trouble would persuade men that women could not be trusted to have the right to vote.
-Using patience and putting forward logical arguments
-Women in 1900 could hold responsible posts in society, such as sitting on school boards, but were not trusted to vote.
-If parliament made laws and if women had to obey those laws, then women should be part of the process of making those laws.
-As women had to pay the same taxes as men, they should have the same rights as men
-hoped that when Herbert Asquith became prime minister, his government would give women the vote as he promised this. However, once in power, Asquith changed his mind
-Process was very slow -> Women became angry;both Fawcett’s sister and daughter joined more militant organisations known as the Suffragettes
-Convinced some Members of Parliament that women should have the vote -> most men in Parliament believed that women simply would not understand how Parliament worked and therefore should not be given the vote.
Who led the Suffragettes? What was their official organisation?
Emmeline Pankhurst and Christabel and Sylvia Pankhurst
Mary Richardson
Women’s Social and Political Union WPSU
What did the suffragettes do? With examples?
-1905 - Christabel P and Kenney interrupted a meeting to ask Churchill if women should have a right to vote - got out a banner which had ‘votes for women’ on it and military sashes - shouted at them to answer the q - thrown out and arrested
-Burned down churches as the Church of England was against them
-Vandalised oxford street - broke all windows
-Chained themselves to Buckingham palace - royal family was against them
-Refused to pay tax
-Arrests gave more publicity than paying a fine and going away silently - wanted to get arrested - Annie Kenney repeatedly arrested
-Attacked politicians as they went to work and fire bombed homes - used letter bombs on them
-Emily Davidson first martyr - threw herself under a horse at Epsom
-Refused to eat on prison and went on hunger strike, the gov was afraid they’d become martyrs so prison governors force fed them
-1913 - blew up Lloyd George’s house
-WWI 1914 - Pankhurst made them stop using violence and support the gov as much as they could - got them the vote
What was the Cat and Mouse Act? Who did it have an impact on?
No force feeding to let them get weaker - when they were weak, they were released but didnt die so they couldn’t take part in violent protests - if they partook again, they’d be arrested and cycle would repeat - impacted suffragettes
Who got involved with suffragettes?
Women of all classes
White colour workers
Teachers
Actors
Writers
Young radicals
Educated women - first generation uni educated
Suffragettes moto?
‘Deeds not words’
How many suffragettes arrested in 5 years?
Over 1000
Who were the chartists?
Mass movement driven by the working class after the failure of the 1832 reform act that didnt extent the vote beyond those who own property in Black Country - the centre of the working class movement
What was the 1838 Peoples Charter? What demands?
-1838 Peoples Charter drawn up by LWMA
-6 demands: all men to have the vote, voting should take place by secret ballot, parliamentary elections every year, equal constituency sizes, MPs should be paid, property qualification of becoming MP should be abolished
When did the chartists present petitions? What happened to them?
-Petition presented in 1839 before the house with over 1 million signatures - rejected, second petition in 1842 signed by 3 million but rejected - led to unrest
When was the final petition? When did the popularity of the movement decline?
-1848 - final petition - presented by leader Feargus O’Connor - connections with radical group which used violence - authorities feared disruption so military forces were on standby - it was rejected but understood didn’t happen
-1842-1857 - when the chartists declined
What was the legacy of the chartists? How many demands met?
-Legacy: reform acts passed in 1867 and 1884
-1918 - 5/6 demands met - parl elections not every year
What 2 debates are there on extending the franchise to prisoners?
- Extending franchise to prisoners
- Extending franchise to 16 year olds
ECHR ruling on franchise and prisoners?
-In 2005, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that denying prisoners the right to vote violated their human rights. This followed a legal challenge by John Hirst.
-However, the UK government did not comply with the ruling.
-In 2017, the Conservative government announced plans to allow a small number of prisoners (around 100) to vote - only those on home curfew
-Greens & MT v UK & Firth & Others v UK & McHugh & Others v UK - repeated the ruling
Prisoners should get suffrage?
-Not all rights removed when you go to prison
-Mauer - just because they committed a crime, it doesnt mean they dont have an ability to choose which party - coutnries that gave them the right, haven’t increased in aggressive party numbers - there hasn’t been a rise of aggression or a terror state
-Behan and ODonnell - doesnt prevent murder but actually makes it harder to rehabilitate as prionsers feel discriminated and disconnected and alienated from others - this leads to repetition in crimes
-Easton - disproportionate - if you murdered someone and if you pickpocketed, you get same punishment - it also has no relation to punishing them for their crime - so why is it there - and arbitrary - only affected if you happen to be in prison during a general election
-Right to vote is fundamental in society
-85,000 affected by the pointless human rights violation
-Prison guidance suggests we should give prisoners a good life
Prisoners should not get suffrage?
-Rights forfeiture theory - you the privilege of vote so this can be removed
-Those who commit crime against society shouldn’t have a say in how it is run
-Might help prevent crime if they roemove right to vote
-May undermine principle of justice if they remove vote right
-Roger Clegg - only those who are loyal to the nation should be able to vote - as they dont obey the law - don’t deserve this
-Despite consequences, taking right to vote away is deserved - justified consequence
What can 16 year olds do?
-Become member of trade union
-Pay income tax and national insurance
-Consent to sexual relationships - can have children
-Obtain tax credits and welfare benefits
-Change their name by deed poll
-Get married
16 year olds should get suffrage?
-88 year olds people who have gone insane are able to vote - not mentally equipped
-What you vote for affects the rest of your life - more ‘rest of your life’ for younger people - bigger stake
-Should’ve voted in Brexit referendum - its their future
-More informed due to social media than they used to be
-Voting expresses opinion about something that may affect future, education and place in the earth
-Views and opinions of children having a voice in society
-Scotland - have right to vote in referendums
-Isle of Man, Austria, Brazil, Ecuador, Slovenia (if employed), Argentina (compulsory after 18)
-They have a lot of adult responsibilities
-Right to vote is a sign of citizenship
-everyone susceptible to media influences - elderly influenced by right wing the Sun and we are influenced by social media
16 year olds should not get suffrage?
-Not trusted with adult things
-Generational divide - voice should count equally as much as old people - they think about the future of their children
-Poeple want to take away right to vote from bigoted old people, so the young shouldn’t have it
-Being more informed doesn’t relate to their ability to vote well?
-Can’t sent off to fight, so shouldn’t get suffrage
-More emotional
-More susceptible to propaganda and lies - more time on social media
