LEARNING INTENTIONSLEARNING INTENTIONS

• Explain the ways that Britain became a democracy

• These democratic changes included:

• Extended franchise (equal voting)

• Equal representation

• Secret ballots

• More party choice

• Paid MPs

• Free speech (education and newspapers)

Before the 1850sBefore the 1850s

On the basis that all adults should have a vote, it would be 1928 before Britain could be considered a democracy.

However this problem was not all that stopped Britain from earning this title.

Great Reform Act, 1832Great Reform Act, 1832

In 1832 a major piece of legislation was passed, which became known as the Great Reform Act.

The act introduced many changes, including giving the middle class the vote for the first time. It also got rid of many ‘rotten boroughs’.

Before the 1850sBefore the 1850s

However even after the 1832 changes there were still many reasons that Britain was far from being a democracy.

100 years this was no longer the case. What laws and other reforms helped Britain change?

Equal votingEqual voting

There were four key laws passed between 1867 and 1928 which helped introduce equal voting to Britain

i.e. all adults can vote on an equal basis, regardless of gender, income, etc.

1867, Second Reform Act1867, Second Reform Act

This law gave the vote to working class men for the first ever time (meaning 1/3 of men in the UK could vote).

Men who owned property or paid rent of £10+ per year had the right to vote.

1867, Second Reform Act1867, Second Reform Act

This law was known as the ‘leap in the dark’ because it was such a major change.

Although it was a huge reform, 2/3 of men and all women were still excluded from voting. Giving the vote to working class

men was described as a ‘leap in the dark’ because no-one knew

what the outcome would be

1884, Third Reform Act1884, Third Reform Act

This report significantly increased the chances for working class men to vote.

All men in towns and cities had the vote on an equal basis (property owners, £10+ rent).

2/3 of men could now vote.

1884, Third Reform Act1884, Third Reform Act

Again a significant reform however one that still left a third of all men unable to vote.

Not only this, no women at all had gained the franchise.

1918, Representation of 1918, Representation of the People Actthe People Act

All men age 21+ now had the right to vote, regardless of income or other qualification.

The biggest change was that some women gained the vote; 30+, married to a voter, etc.

1918, Representation of 1918, Representation of the People Actthe People Act

Significant change to give all men the vote and introduce the first ever female franchise.

However still not democratic if large numbers of women excluded purely based on their gender.

1928, Equal 1928, Equal Franchise ActFranchise Act

Finally gave all men and women age 21+ the vote.

No qualifications e.g. income, gender, etc.

1928, Equal Franchise Act1928, Equal Franchise Act

Voting now took place on an equal basis in the UK (all adults over 21, regardless of gender, income, etc).

However some complained that voting should be 18+. This would not happen until 1967.

Equal representationEqual representation

In a democracy all adults should have one equal vote.

No one person should have more or opportunities to take part in the democratic process.

This is equal representation.

1867, Second Reform Act1867, Second Reform Act

As well as giving working class men the vote, this redistributed seats around the country.

Many rotten boroughs’ and dual MP seats were abolished. Also, more seats were given to Scotland and the north of England.

1867, Second Reform Act1867, Second Reform Act

Rural areas still had more representatives than they should.

Plural voting still existed.

Result was more upper class MPs as there were fewer parliamentary seats.

Redistribution of Seats Redistribution of Seats Act, 1885Act, 1885

Took away more seats from small rural areas (all seats with less than 15,000 were abolished).

Gave more MPs to certain areas e.g. Scotland gained 12 more MPs.

1885, Redistribution of 1885, Redistribution of Seats ActSeats Act

Rural areas still had more representatives than they should.

Plural voting still existed.

Result was more upper class MPs as there were fewer parliamentary seats.

Parliament Acts, 1911 Parliament Acts, 1911 and 1948and 1948

Reduced power of the House of Lords by only allowing them to delay a law for up to two years (one year after 1948).

Also, stopped House of Lords blocking ‘money bills’ (the Budget).

Parliament Acts, 1911 Parliament Acts, 1911 and 1948and 1948

Lords were not elected and could still delay laws the elected government wanted to enact.

This situation still exists today (delay is still one year now).

Representation of the Representation of the People Act, People Act, 19481948

Abolished plural voting (one person being to vote in more than one constituency).

Abolished university constituencies/MPs too.

Secret ballotsSecret ballots

A secret ballot is a key part of democracy.

Without secret voting, voters can be bulled or intimidated into voting a certain way e.g. an employer might sack them, or a landlord evict them.

Corruption was a problem too.

1872, Ballot Act1872, Ballot Act

Secret ballots were introduced for parliamentary elections; voters could now make their own decisions.

Greatest evidence of change was when landlord MPs were almost all voted out in 1880 Irish election.

Secret ballotsSecret ballots

In small areas it was still possible to work out how certain groups of people had voted.

In addition corruption was not wiped out as voters continued to take bribes (often from both sides).

More party choiceMore party choice

A crucial part of any democracy is that voters should have a wide choice of candidates.

This ensures that they do not have to stick with the same parties, and can make changes if they want.

Labour Representation Labour Representation Committee, 1900Committee, 1900

British politics was dominated by two political parties (Whigs and Tories, later Liberals and Conservatives).

Formation of LRC (later Labour Party) helped give a third option, particularly for working class voters.

Labour Party formedLabour Party formed

Existence of a third party gave more choice, however three parties was still a relatively limited choice.

There was no real alternative for working class voters that disagreed with any of Labour’s policies.

Anyone can be electedAnyone can be elected

In a democracy it is important that all members of the public have the chance to be elected, if they wish to do so.

In Britain it was actually very hard for anyone other than rich people to afford elections or live as an MP.

Corrupt and Illegal Corrupt and Illegal Practices Act, Practices Act, 18831883

Introduced spending limits in elections and described what money could be spent on.

Limit was £710 per 2000 voters and £40 for each additional 1000 voters; banned spending on food, alcohol, etc.

Paid MPs, 1911Paid MPs, 1911

In the 1911 Parliament Act, MPs were paid for the first time.

They received £400 per year, higher than the average wage at the time.

This allowed anyone to afford to become an MP.

Secret ballots, 1872Secret ballots, 1872

The introduction of secret ballots meant that voters could vote for who they choose, rather than be influenced.

This meant that more working class candidates could be elected.

Anyone can be an MPAnyone can be an MP

Paying MPs and secret ballots certainly did help allow anyone who wanted to get elected.

However it was still very expensive to campaign (thousands of pounds in each election), and most people could not afford this.

Free speechFree speech

A key part of a democracy is that people can freely spread ideas.

In practise there were no laws against this, however there were certain obstacles to it happening.

1855, Newspaper Stamp 1855, Newspaper Stamp Duty abolishedDuty abolished

The abolition of tax on newspapers made them cheaper, thus allowing more people to buy and read them.

In 1856, 795 newspapers in the UK; by 1886 this had increased to 2093.

The Scotsman newspaper was founded in Edinburgh

in 1817

1855, Newspaper Stamp 1855, Newspaper Stamp Duty abolishedDuty abolished

Although more newspapers could be bought and read, not all of them were focused on political and social issues.

Like today, many newspapers had a gossip focus and so were of limited political value.

1872, Education Act1872, Education Act

Although more people could buy newspapers, literacy was still a huge problem in Britain.

After 1872 in Scotland (1870 in rest of UK) everyone received a primary-level education, allowing the spread of more written ideas.

1872, Education Act1872, Education Act

Although more people gained a basic education it was only to primary level. This meant that its effects were limited.

Also, many children continued to work whilst at school (half-timers), again limiting the effect of the education gained.

Growth of railwaysGrowth of railways

During the 1800s the growth of the rail network was crucial to the spread of democracy.

It not only allowed newspapers to be sold across the country but it also let political speakers travel to different places.