2.7 Parliament and the people, c.1800–1918

• Representation and democratic rights

  Increased between 1800 and 1918 after many struggles by different groups
• Political system in 1800

  • Not very representative
  • Many constituencies were not representative
  • The numbers of voters in constituencies varied
  • Some larger towns/cities only returned one MP
  • Oxford and Cambridge universities returned two MPs each - an outdated law
  • Some constituencies were 'rotten boroughs' with as few as one or two voters
• Voting system in 1800


  • No secret ballot, voting was public which encouraged corruption
  • Candidates would offer bribes or host parties to win votes
• Two revolutions in the wider world


  Led to further scrutiny of the British political system
• Thomas Paine's book The Rights of Man argued the British political system was corrupt - 200,000 copies sold before it was banned
• The Great Reform Act


  Brought some political change, extending the franchise (right to vote) but largely favoured middle-class voters
• Changes made by the Great Reform Act

  1. 56 boroughs of less than 2000 voters were disenfranchised

  2. 31 small boroughs lost one of their two MPs

  3. 22 new two-member boroughs were created
• After the Great Reform Act, one in seven English males could vote
• The Great Reform Act did not bring wholesale political change, and corruption still existed
• Chartism


  A political movement with six demands: universal suffrage, payment for MPs, no property qualification to become an MP, annual Parliaments, secret ballot, equal representation
• Changes made by the Second (1867) and Third (1884) Reform Acts

  1. Second Reform Act doubled the electorate to 40% of the male population

  2. Third Reform Act added 2.6 million voters to the electorate, increasing it from 3.1 million to 5.7 million, and qualifications to vote were the same in all constituencies
• The Secret Ballot Act was made law in 1872 after campaigning
• A total of 40% of men and 100% of women did not have the right to vote after the Third Reform Act
• New Unions


  Emerged in the 1870s and 1880s to protect workers' rights
• The Trades Union Congress (TUC) was formed in 1868 and almost all trade unions were affiliated to it by the 1890s
• The government took measures to make strike action very difficult for the new unions
• The Labour Party


  Formed in 1900 as an amalgamation of smaller working-class activist groups, supported by the TUC
• By 1910, the Labour Party had 42 MPs in Parliament
• The rise in popularity of the Labour Party put pressure on the Liberals and Conservatives to pass welfare reforms in the early twentieth century
• NUWSS (Suffragists)


  • Formed in 1897, led by Millicent Fawcett, used peaceful methods, had 50,000 fee-paying members and many volunteers, tried to put pressure on Parliament but did not gain any concessions
• WSPU (Suffragettes)


  • Formed in 1903, led by Emmeline Pankhurst, used more violent methods, had 2000 members at its peak, their actions raised the profile of female suffrage
• Some people were opposed to giving women the vote due to the violent actions of the Suffragettes
• Women contributed to the war effort by doing a range of jobs such as working in munitions factories or as part of the Land Army, which gained the respect of many people
• The Representation of the People Act was passed in January 1918, giving the vote to some women (and all men over the age of 21)