reform of parliament

• causes of the 1832 reform act:

  1. bad harvests 1828-30
  2. 1829 catholic emancipation split party
  3. 1830 Swing Riots sparked agric stress in the south
  4. reform protests got more organised
  5. French revolution influences England
• impacts of the 1832 reform act:

  1. 40 shilling remained in counties then the vote was extended to tenant farmers who rented from over £50 a year
  2. removed confusion over borough qualifications
  3. county electorate increased 55% from 240,000 to 370,000
  4. borough electorate increased 40% 200,000 to 280,000
  5. disappointment for working class as it was suppose to be 'great' but had a negative impact.
• causes of the 1867 reform act:

  1. revival of interest in reform and allowed people to follow unification struggle in Italy, Polish Revolt 1863, American Civil War 1861-5
  2. Reform Union + Reform League set up mass demonstrations like Hyde Park Riots. thought it would lead to more effective and efficient gov.
  3. economic distress because of cotton famine in North. naval blockades meant raw cotton couldn't be transported to the south.
  4. CP ready to take up cause of reform
• what kind of demonstrations did the reform union and league set up?

  Hyde Park Riots
• impacts of the 1867 reform act:

  1. extended franchise to 2 million
  2. borough franchise gave the vote to those who lived in a property for 12 months
  3. counties went from 540,000 to 800,000
  4. 1/3 male adults could now vote instead of 1/5
• causes of the 1884 reform act:

  • household suffrage in boroughs but restrictive £12 suffrage in counties
  • by extending vote to agricultural workers Gladstone thought that they would vote liberal and weaken tory party
• impact of 1884 act on franchise

  • universal electorate qualification based on household suffrage in towns and counties
  • women still not included in the vote neither was 'residuum' aka sons of servants and casual labourers
  • electorate increased dramatically by 84%
• causes of 1918 act:

  • election should have happened in 1915 but didn't because of war
  • electorate registers out of date
  • meant hardly any soldiers would have qualified to vote
• impact of 1918 act on franchise:

  • made female suffrage impossible to ignore
  • enfranchised women over 30 as long as they were householders or wives
  • Nancy Astor 1919 1st woman in parliament
• causes of 1928 act:

  • 1918 act was failing women as they still weren't enfranchised
  • feminist societies like NUSEC kept political issue alive
  • Baldwin saw women as key voters for conservative party
• impact of the 1928 act on franchise:

  • Daily Mail published article portraying 'flapper' as women who were young sexual and politically ignorant.
  • added 5.2 million to franchise
  • 14.5 million women compared to 12.25 million men
  • universal suffrage
• ballot act 1872:

  • tackled corruption
  • protected political secrecy
• corrupt practises act 1883:

  • capped campaign expenses £710 for first 2,000 voters
  • required to keep records of expenses
  • fines
  • ended corruption
• redistribution act 1885:

  • 28 with a pop of 50,000 had 2 MPs but smaller ones had 1 MP
  • single member ones would become conservative strongholds essential for party success