Reform in the 1880s
Wider electoral reformsHaving dealt with corruption, Gladstone
turned his attention to wider electoral reform
Liberal Party was now split about reformChamberlain introduced a franchise bill in
1884 to grant males in the counties equal voting rights to males in the boroughs
The lords blocked this, demanding that seats were redistributed at the same time
Protest marches in Birmingham and Glasgow took place demanding reform
Representation of the People Act 1884 WHY?
Power of land owning class declining (power resented)
Little difference between urban and rural workers therefore act removed distinction
Threat of socialismThe end of the mob!
This led to two separate actsRepresentation of the People Act 1884
Extended the voteIncreased electorate from 2.5
to 5 million2 out of 3 men in England
and Wales now had the voteMale householders and
lodgers of 12 months got the vote
Voting qualifications in boroughs and counties now the same (£10)
Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Aimed to construct constituencies of approximately equal size
79 towns with a population of under 15,000 lost both of their seats
36 towns with a population between 15,000 and 50,000 lost one seat, and between 50,000 and 165,000 kept two seats
Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Universities kept two seatsRemainder of the country was divided
into single member constituenciesTotal number of MPs increased from 652
to 670
Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 Scotland
72 MPs now at Westminister7 additional seats went to
the countiesLanark county increased
MPs from 2 to 6Fife, Perth and Renfrew
increased representation to 2, Glasgow from 3 to 7, Edinburgh 2 to 4, Aberdeen 1 to 2
Third Reform Act-positives/negatives
Moved Britain closer to a democracyPut in place an electoral system which is
similar to the present system However far from being a democratic
society, women still excluded as were male domestic servants, sons who lived at home, paupers on poor relief, soldiers living in barracks and those who had failed to pay their rates
Other anomaliesPlural voting still
existed. This meant that a man could have many votes if he owned property in different constituencies
Universities still elected MPs Glasgow
University
1918, Representation of the People Act
Why was it introduced?Issue of residency ConscriptionLloyd George replaced AsquithPlans to change rules in 1917/18Women’s role in the war effort
Between 1885 and 1918 there were few attempts to widen the franchise1918 Representation of the People Act finally
removed the discrepancy of the male franchise and gave the vote to women aged 30 and over
Seemed to mark a reversal of attitudes Heralded the creation of a huge new electorate; from 8.4 million to 21.4
Scottish suffragettes
1918, Representation of the People Act
Based on residential qualification for men over 21 and more complex rules for women over 30
Provided they were either local government electors or wives of the latter
1918, Representation of the People Act
Some historians have concluded this act was a result of the Great War . It would have been difficult to deny the vote to those who had sacrificed and worked for the war effort
‘the world must be made safe for democracy’ Wilson 1917
However Martin Pugh argues that it was in essence unfinished business which led to the reform, he contends that reform had only been delayed by the war
Liberals had been pushing for a wider franchise for years
Further reformsWomen eventually
equal voting rights in 1928
Further 20th century reforms in 1948 and 1969 abolished university representation in Parliament and reduced the voting age from 21 to 18
Evolution of democracyBritain’s low key path
towards democracy can be related to the fact that large numbers of ‘the people’ did not campaign for change
Chartists and suffragettes campaigned noisily but they were not mass movements
Emmeline Pankhurst
Evolution of democracyThere was no sudden
change of regime in Britain unlike other countries
Arguably British citizens were to remain ‘good subjects’ not ‘active citizens’
The disengagement with politics continues today