widening the franchise

• • 1867 second reform act granted that most skilled workers could vote if they owned or rented property to value £10 or more per year
  • 1884 third reform act granted that men in the country side the same voting rights as those in the cities
  • 1918 representation of the people act means all men over 21 and women over 30 who were married to men who owned or rented property could now vote 


  knowledge
• Analysis

  • increased the electorate from 1.3 million - 2.45 million. 1-in-3 men were eligible to vote.
  • however it only applied to men in industrial towns and cities. the right to vote still relied on where you lived
  • property qualifications were equal
  • However women were still excluded from the vote
  • 8 million women were now granted the vote
  • However voting qualifiers still unequal between men and women
• increase in the electoral system -Knowledge

  • 1872 secret ballot act- voting was now done in secret
  • 1883 corrupt and illegal act introduced a spending limit on what politicians could spend their money on
  • 1885 redistribution of seats meant towns with smaller populations lost seats while heavily populated areas gained them
• increase the electoral system- Analysis

  • intimidation declined, politicians couldn’t scare people into voting them
  • However the act didn’t end corruption and bribery continues
  • 4 towns in England lost their mps due to corrupt practices after this act. It also reduced the inequality between poorer and wealthier parties
  • it helped spread MPs fairly across the country and increased numbers of MPs
  • However oxford and Cambridge kept their own mp showing students had an extra vote, wealthy still had more of a say
• increasing choice for voters -Knowledge

  • labour emerges in 1900 to represent concerns of the working class
  • 1911 parliament act introduced a payment for MPs at a rate of £400 per year
• increasing choice for voters- analysis

  • as more people could elect a party that represented them
  • However labour was a party made from smaller groups joined together , they were disorganised and poorly financed
  • this opened up representation
• Accountability of parliament-knowledge

  • 1911 parliament act reduced the maximum length between election from 7 years to 5 years
  • 1911 parliament act restricted power of the unelected lords.
• Accountability of parliament - Analysis

  • mps were now held accountable as they had to follow up on their promises to be re-elected
  • However pressure groups like the charists suggested elections should be annually
  • more power was held by the elected representatives then unelected lords
  • However their continued existence remains undemocratic as the House Of Lords still has an influence