Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The great reform act 1832
Write a short note on the reform act of 1832
Explain the significance of the great reform act 1832
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The great reform act 1832
Democracy can be defined as a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. Arguably in this respect, the Great Reform Act of 1832 did not move Britain towards democracy, as the electoral system was not made free, nor was the power fully vested in the people. The Great Reform Act did however instigate an introduction of other crucial reforms which gradually made Britain a more democratic country, such as the 1918 Representation of the People Act, which introduced women into the electorate for the first time in British history. Therefore, it is justified to argue that the Great Reform Act was indeed the key turning point as although it didn’t expand the franchise as much as some of the other Acts did, it provided the foundation on which a more democratic and representative government was established.
The 1832 Reform Act was the first major attempt in changing the static Parliamentary system since the sixteenth century; it was the beginning of the evolution of British politics. The Act changed the franchise qualification in both borough and county constituencies and consequently, it delivered an increase in the electorate from 478,000 to 813,000; which grew further as wealth increased and more men owned enough property to qualify for the vote.
The redistribution of 143 seats resulted in industrial boroughs such as Manchester and Sheffield gaining an MP for the very first time and subsequently, there was a rise in the number of urban middle class voters who were now recognised and admitted into the political system. In contrast, the monarch’s influence in politics decreased due to the Reform Act, as there were fewer s...
... middle of paper ...
...ics 1830-1852, Macmillan Education LTD, 1989.
Wood, Anthony, Nineteenth Century Britain 1815-1914, Longman Group Limited, 1960.
Lang, Sean, Parliamentary Reform, Routledge, 1999.
Wright, D.G, Democracy and Reform 1815-1885, Longman Group Limited, 1970.
Evans, Eric J, Britain Before the Reform Act: Politics and Society 1815-1832, Longman, Group Limited, 1989.
Lowe, Norman, Mastering Modern British History, Macmillan Education Ltd, 1984.
Cole Matt and Hartley Debbie, 1832 An Unseen Advance for Democracy?, Modern History Review, September 1990.
The 1832 Great Reform Act, http://history.edjakeman.com/2010/09/1832-great-reform-act.html, Accessed 28th February 2011.
Walton, John, Impact of the Second Reform Act, http://www.orange.k12.oh.us/teachers/ohs/tshreve/apwebpage/readings/secondreformbill.html, 31 September 1998, Accessed 23rd February 2011.
In the 1906 election, the number of seats won by Liberals increased from 184 to 377, in contrast the numbers of seats lost by the Conservatives went from 402 seats won in 1900 to 157 seats lost in the 1906 election, this represented the lowest number of seats held by a Conservative government since 1832. This dramatic reversal of constituencies held, is due to a number of reasons. An argument is that, due to some poor decisions made by the Conservative governments, they in fact contributed largely to the landslide result in the 1906 election. ‘They were in effect the architects to the own downfall.’
‘Reform movements in the United States sought to expand democratic ideals. Assess the validity of this statement with specific reference to the years 1825-1850.’
Before that can be established, I think a definition of democracy should be stated so that it may be called upon later in this essay. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, democracy is stated as "the principle of social equality and respect for the individual within a community" .
America’s form of representative democracy came as a result of the transgressions Britain committed against their colonies. Several hundred years of salutary neglect served well for those living an ocean away from their motherland. Realizing the prosperity that colonies had obtained through a semi-free market society, the King of England and the parliament began enacting many taxes and acts. Taking away the colonies freedom was unsettling amongst the colonists and eventually led to a revolution. This revolution secured freedom from Britain as well as founded a new nation with the first ever constitution. Although the process to achieve democracy in America was a long, laborious road the freedom, prosperity and equality of opportunity shared by those amongst the states could not be denied.
This was the 1867 Reform Act. In 1832, the Great Reform Act was passed, this allowed most middle class men to vote, but not working class men. But, the 1867 Reform Act changed that. This Act would have led to all men who had lived at the same address for 12 months being able to vote. This meant that many more working class men were able to vote in the General elections.
During the 1750's, the most wealthy people in the town held the most property, meaning they obtained the most power and money. As time moved on, though, voting requiremen...
Democracy in the United States became prominent in the early to mid 19th century. Andrew Jackson, the 7th president of the United States, was inaugurated in 1829 and was best known as the person who mainstreamed democracy in America. Because he came from a humble background, he was the “genuine common man.” (Foner, pg. 303) He claimed he recognized the needs of the people and spoke on behalf of the majority [farmers, laborers]. However, critics of Jackson and democracy called him “King Andrew I” because of his apparent abuse of presidential power [vetoing]. These critics believed he favored the majority so much that it violated the U.S. constitution, and they stated he was straying too far away from the plan originally set for the United States. Because of the extreme shift of power to the majority, the limiting of rights of the few [merchants, industrialists] and the abuse of power under Jackson’s democracy, the foundational documents set in the constitution was violated, and the work of the preceding presidents were all but lost.
So why was such a fuss made about this Act if it didn't change an
The Aims and Principles of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act In the decades prior to the national reform of the Poor Law in 1834, the characterisations of the administration were of variety rather than uniformity. The social and economic changes at this time produced many problems for those that were responsible for the social welfare. Many areas throughout the country though found solutions to this problem within the legal frame-work of the Elizabethan Poor Law of 1597-1601. In the initial stages the amendment act was set up to reduce the amount of poor rates that were being paid.
An upcoming Chartist founder in 1832, Henry Hetherington had quoted that the ‘Reform Act was never intended to do you one particle of good.’ Opinions like Henry Hetherington’s after the passing of 1832 Reform Act eventually led to the emergence of Chartism as a national movement in 1837, who were predominately working class and depicted the ‘Great ‘Reform Act of 1832 as a betrayal and a failure, rather than being ‘Great’. The Reform Act was hoped by many to be a ‘remedy’ for many of those from the lower end of the social classes and finally a chance for them to get their voices heard by the government through enfranchisement, however many thought they were ‘deceived’ by it when it was passed. On the other hand, Historians have contended
To begin, in 1830, William IV became king of Britian. Many events through William’s time as the king made it so that the monarchy lost power and influence on the country. First, in 1832, William went against his wishes and conceded to the public’s demands. He signed the Great Reform Bill of 1832, thus limiting what political powers the monarchy had. As time grew on the organization of the parties became stronger and the party leaders grew more defined, giving more attention and power to the parties and less to the monarchy. Many people found him to be ignorant and weak. This led to the political influence of the British monarchy to decrease even more than it already had with the Great Reform Bill of 1832.
Democracy: a government by the people, in which citizens rule either directly or through elected representatives - the latter description more relevant to today’s societies. Quite evidently, democracy is not perfect; like any other political system, it is subject to a plethora of flaws. For instance, it is no secret that voters tend to make illogical decisions – not out of sheer malice, but as a result of being wrongly informed. Politicians also make erroneous choices, whether they do so because they are dishonest or simply out of touch with the true will of their constituents. Further, anyone who has studied the government of a parliamentary democracy knows gerrymandering can have a powerful say in determining elections. Despite these and other flaws however, democracy still seems to work.
Moore, B (1967). Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy: Lord and Peasant in the Making of the Modern World. Harmondsworth: Penguin. 433-442.
...re for altercations in the electoral method and slave trade abolition. Ultimately the Parliament passed the Great Reform Act in 1832 and the official slave trade abolishment occurred in 1807. Following the Great Reform Act was the inclusion of new cities in the Parliament such as Manchester and Birmingham. Thus there being a significant political altercation in the fundamentals of the parliamentary system.
The foundation of the modern political system was laid in the times when the world was strangled in slavery. In those moments, enlightened minds in Greek came up with the new system that was there to remain for the next thousands of years. This system, now known as democracy, is a form of government in which supreme power is vested to the people themselves. People have the right to elect their leaders directly or indirectly through a scheme of representation usually involving periodically held free elections. A new democratic government is usually established after every 4-5 years, and it is trusted with the responsibility to cater to the needs of all the people irrespective of the fact that they voted for them or not. Although the minorities may not be very pleased with the idea of democracy, however, a democratic government is certainly the best because it establishes social equality among people, reduces the conflicts in the state to a minimum, gives the chance to vote repeatedly, and creates patriotism.