Democratic Reform in Britain

Introduction Questions

• Read the excerpt from the Two Nations at the top of page 360 and answer the following questions:– Why do you think Charles Egremont believed

that England was “the greatest nation that ever existed”?

– What “two nations” existed in England at the time?

Reforming Parliament• Britain was a

constitutional monarchy with a Parliament; two political parties existed – the Whigs (liberal party) and the Tories (conservative party)

– lack of democratic ideals – less than 5% of people could vote, the upper class dominated politics, the House of Lords could veto any bill passed by the House of Commons

• Reform Act of 1832– enlarged the electorate – body of

people able to vote– eliminated rotten boroughs –

small unpopulated rural towns that were unevenly represented in Parliament; representation given to the new largely populated industrial towns

– greater political voice given to middleclass men

• The Chartist Movement– Called for radical change to help

the poor urban and rural workers – Demanded universal manhood

suffrage, annual Parliament elections and salaries for members of Parliament

– This movement declined but influenced later political movements

The Victorian Age – led by Queen Victoria

• symbol of a nation’s values – Queen Victoria embraced a strict code of morals and manners including duty, thrift, honesty, hard work and respectability

• a confident age– Britain was confident

because of their dominant world position

– Queen Victoria pushed for social and economic justice

A New Era in British Politics• leadership in Parliament

– Benjamin Disraeli – forged the Tories into the modern conservative party

– William Gladstone – forged the Whigs into the modern liberal party

• Expanding Suffrage– Reform Bill of 1867 – doubled the size

of the electorate by including working class men

– By century’s end England had universal male suffrage, the secret ballot, and other Chartist ambitions had been met

– Change from a constitutional monarchy to a parliamentary democracy – a form of government in which the executive leaders (prime minister and cabinet) are chosen by and responsible to the legislature (Parliament) and are also members of it

• Limiting the Lords– Parliament Bill of 1911 – gave the

House of Commons supremacy over the House of Lords

Read over pages 364-369

• Create a symbol that represents the main idea for each section– A Series of Reforms– Victories for the Working Class– The Struggle to Win Votes for Women– Instability in Ireland

• Also for each symbol write one sentence that explains the meaning behind the symbol

Democratic Reform in Britain

Social and Economic Reform in Britain • A Series of Reforms

– free trade – trade between countries without quotas, tariffs or other restrictions• Corn Laws – imposed high

tariffs on imported grain– farmers and wealthy landowners

wanted to keep the corn laws whereas the freetraders (middle class business leaders) wanted to repeal the laws

– corn laws repealed in 1846 allowing the free market to determine prices

• campaign against slavery – abolition movement – campaign

against slavery and slave trade• England bans slavery in 1807;

bans slavery in colonies in 1833

• Crime and Punishment– capital offenses – crimes

punishable by death – were eventually limited to murder, piracy, treason, and arson

– petty criminals were sent to penal colonies – settlements for convicts – like Australia

• Victories for the Working Class– improve working conditions –

government regulation of factories and mines, limited work hours, restricted child and women labor, increased safety conditions, set minimum wages, and limited maximum hours of work

– the growth of labor unions – labor unions became legal and grew tremendously between 1840-1914

– later reforms• improved public health and housing for

workers• free elementary education• government jobs are earned through

merit

• Fabian Society – socialist group that fought for reform through legal means rather than violence

– Socialists and union members formed the Labour Party which eventually would replace the Liberal Party by the 1920s

– Reforms made by the British government limited the support given to radical Marxist (socialist) groups

• The Struggle to Win Votes for Women– Suffragists Revolt

• Emmeline Pankhurst promoted drastic – extreme – tactics to make change

• By 1918 all women over 30 had the right to vote

Instability in Ireland• England had colonized Ireland

by the 1600s– The Irish never accepted English

rule – they resented English settlers, absentee landlords – owned large estates but didn’t live on them, and the suppression of their Catholic religion and Irish culture

– Irish nationalism – led by Daniel O’Connell who wanted to “get Ireland for the Irish”

• Catholic Emancipation Act – allowed Catholics to vote and hold political office

• Struggle for Home Rule– Fenian Brotherhood – radical Irish militant group – More moderate Irish nationalists, led by Charles Stewart

Purnell, rallied Irish members of Parliament to push for home rule – local self government

– The “Irish Questions” disrupted English politics forcing Parliament to pass reforms and eventually vote for a home rule bill in 1914

“The Irish Question”

• Read over page 368 and answer the Critically Thinking questions at the bottom of the page.

• Read over page 370 and answer question #1 in the Critically Thinking questions at the bottom of the page.