Development of a Democracy in Britain During 1867 and 1928

Development of a Democracy in Britain During 1867 and 1928

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In order to evaluate the development of democracy during this period

in Britain it would be helpful to have some clear definition of what

democracy actually is. The Oxford English dictionary defines democracy

as "a system of government by the whole population, usually through

elected representation". This definition would suggest that the whole

adult population of a state or country would have the right to vote in

a parliamentary election. Evidence may suggest that the parliamentary

system in Britain in the middle of the 19th Century did not even come

close to this definition. The British electoral system had remained

largely unchanged through the entire 17th and 18th Century when

politics in Britain was largely dominated by wealthy landowners. The

first Parliamentary Reform Act of 1832 increased the franchise in

Britain from 435,000 to 653.000 from a population of twenty million.

The fact that ninety-four percent of the British population was

excluded from the franchise is a clear reflection of how democratic

British politics was at this time.

The Reform Act of 1832 stimulated public agitation, which heightened

political consciousness among the working class. The Chartist movement

grew out of a demand for voting rights for the working class at a time

when Britain was experiencing an economic recession. The charter

consisted of six demands: universal suffrage; equal electoral

districts; voting by ballot; payment for members of Parliament and the

abolition of the property qualification. It must be said the Chartist

movement achieved very little.

Before the 1867 Ref...

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...growth in democracy took place after the First World War when

the Representation of the People Act of 1918 increased the franchise

to 74% by giving the vote to women over the age of thirty and all men

over the age of twenty-one. The Equal Franchise Act of 1928 increased

the franchise in Britain to 97% of the population by giving the vote

to all men and women over the age of twenty-one. Evidence may suggest

that Britain could be classed as a true democracy after 1928. The rise

of the Labour Party and the growth of the TUC and the emergence of the

Labour Party helped to change the political identity of British

politics. The dramatic extension of the franchise between 1918 and

1928 also had a major impact on British politics because politicians

had to be much more aware of public opinion when shaping their

policies.