How democratic was Britain by 1911 1928

How democratic was Britain by … 1911, 1928? Why did Britain become more democratic?

Why did Britain become more democratic? Possible answers: 1. Gradual social change = Education = more literacy, more demands. . . 2. New ideas = from USA etc 3. Pressure groups = people demanding change 4. Fear of revolution = rulers changing for fear of something worse 5. Technological change = newspapers, railways, libraries etc 6. War = WWI = disruptive change 7. Political advantage = parties introduced changes to win elections

Britain A Democracy?

• Scotland & Britain 1850 -1950 • We live in a democracy. But what is a ‘democracy’ ?

• • • Voting = people put hands up to decide something Different classes eg rich run everything Parliament = passes law = MPs = vote for them = they represent us For who runs the country Different opinions – debate Deciding laws Fair trials – speak for themselves Help create own society Fair – not just 1 person to decide People decide Strikes = workers can stop working

A democracy is. . . • A way of running a country • Where people choose the government • By voting

What makes a democracy? • Think through a democratic election • What is necessary for it to happen? • Clues: üVoters üFranchise üSecret üConstituencies üFairness üMedia üMPs http: //www. bing. com/videos/search? q=blackad der+third+election&FORM=VIRE 1#view=deta il&mid=BF 6 C 922969 E 09 CB 316 C 2 BF 6 C 9229 69 E 09 CB 316 C 2

How does something get decided in Britain? 1. Franchise 2. Constituency 3. Elections (First-past-the-post) 4. MP (party) 5. Parliament- House of Commons 6. Parliament- House of Lords 7. Bill 8. Law 9. Royal assent 10. Government- Ministers Copy: This is the order of events & people needed to decide something in Britain. = how power is controlled Task: Explain each one. Then explain how your opinions might end up changing something

http: //www. theyworkforyou. com/mp/10934/da vid_hamilton/midlothian#profile

Role play democracy Power = sweeties • We will attempt to role play a whole variety of ways in Monarchy or aristocracy which you can choose what Direct Democracy (Athens) happens to the Representative democracy -Different franchises power (chocolate). (money, sex, citizenship, age) For each one Different sized constituencies explain the advantages and First past the post disadvantages of Proportional Representation the system. • Open ballot & corruption • • •

Glossary • Monarchy • Constituency • Rotten borough • Franchise • vote

Democratic stories Citizen Neil lives in Athens in 450 BC. It is time to decide whether to go to war with Sparta. Neil goes to the hill of the Pyx. He is allowed to go because he is a man and a citizen, his wife, children and slaves are not allowed to go. He listens to the arguments for and against a war and then he votes by raising his hand. Next week there’s a vote on whether or not to kill a traitor called Socrates. This time he votes by throwing a black or white piece of pot onto a pile. The largest pile wins.

Democratic stories Peasant Beth lives in Scotland in 1080 AD. The King decides what happens to him. Lord Kieran lives in England in 1215 AD. Luckily for him he is a very rich landowner and the King has just allowed them to help him make decisions. He meets with other Lords in the ‘House of Lords’. They agree how much tax the King can take. They also get this decision checked by a house of the riches businessmen and farmers. This is called the ‘House of Commons’. There are too many commoners to fit in the house so they choose someone from each town to represent them in the ‘House of Commons’. Together the House of Commons and the House of Lords make up the Parliament.

Democratic stories Jade lives in Glasgow in 1830. She can’t vote because she’s female, she lives in Scotland (most MPs are in Cornwall), she’s too young (you have to be 21), because there aren’t any elections for years, she doesn’t own a big enough house. Even if she could vote it would need 300, 000 other Glaswegians to agree with her to get an MP elected (there are 600, 000 voters in Glasgow). Kieran lives in Dunwich in 1830, or he would if the town still existed- but it’s been washed away in the last 600 years. However he still get a vote along with his 32 neighbours. Because there are only 33 of them, it only needs 18 of them to agree to choose an MP. People come and pay them lots of money to vote for them, there also tends to be lots of beer.

What are these problems with democracy in 1830? • King George IV • 4 % could vote • ‘rotten boroughs’ • 2 parties – Whigs, Tories • ‘pocket boroughs’ • Bribery legal • Dunwich. By 1832 much of it had collapsed into the sea but its 32 voters still returned two MPs to the House of Commons. • Cornwall had 44 MPs, more than all of Scotland • Only men could vote, or be MPs • You needed to be rich to vote • Old Sarum had seven voters living in three houses but elected two MPs to Parliament. Gatton in Surrey had just 7 for 2 MPs

How un-democratic was Britain in 1850? Answer these questions and give examples. Then explain how each made Britain undemocratic. 1. Who could vote? 2. What gave you the right to vote? 3. How often could you vote? 4. How fair were constituencies? 5. Was there corruption? 6. Was voting secret? 7. Who could be elected? 8. Were there parties to vote for? 9. How did you find out about parties? 10. Was Parliament elected?

How democratic was Britain by 1928? Take a double page to sketch the following graph: 100 % All adults over 21 can vote 50 % First attempts at change 1832 1867 1872 1883 1884 1911 1918 1928 1948

Britain, 1850. A democratic state? 1. The majority of its citizens played absolutely no part in the political process. They could not vote, join a political party or become MPs. 2. Bribery and corruption were common during elections. Voting was not secret. 3. Laws were made by the representatives of only some of the people. Political power lay in the hands of the monarchy, the landed aristocracy and those of wealth and property in the land.

1850: Britain- a democratic state? Measured against these yardsticks was the UK a democratic state in 1850?

What was democracy like in 1830? • • • Franchise-based on land Franchise based on sex Elections corrupt Constituencies unfair King and Lords had power

How did the British political system change? • • • 1832 Great Reform Act. = first reform in 100 s of years little change Electorate rose from 13% to 18% of British males. Removed ‘Rotten boroughs’.

Who was who? • Liberal party = Gladstone • Conservative party = Disraeli

Remember the problems: • • • Franchise Constituencies Elections Monarchy and Lords corruption

How democratic? 1867 Reform Act • 1866 Gladstone’s Liberals = small extension of the franchise but were defeated. • 1867 Disraeli and the Conservatives passed a much more radical act. The Second Reform Act. (Dishing the Whigs – remember!) • Redistributed 53 MPs to new cities eg Liverpool, Brum • +1. 4 m voters, (doubling voters) = 28% of men • Owning or renting £ 10 property (mainly skilled working class men). • SW England still over-represented, Scotland under rep.

How reformed? 1872 Secret Ballot Act 1883 Corrupt & Illegal Practices Act • by Gladstone’s Liberal government. • = secret voting. • Corruption stopped by Gladstone’s 1883 Corrupt and Illegal Practices Act. • = banned bribery

How reformed? 1884 Reform Act • same franchise to county and borough (town) seats all over the UK. About 60% of males could now vote. • Same no. of voters per MP • (so 79 towns gained, 36 lost) • 1885 - The. Redistribution. Actadjustedthe size and distribution of parliamentary constituencies.

How Reformed? 1911 Parliament Act • Liberals planned to tax heavily to spend on new pensions, education etc for poor • Lords blocked Liberal budget • After 2 elections 1910 • King threatened to create 100 s of Liberal Lords • Lords lost its powers to reject bills passed by the House of Commons • could only delay them for 2 (later 1) years.

How reformed? 1918 Representation of the People Act • Extended the vote to all men over 21 and all women over 30. • Franchise = British citizenship & age (not property)

How reform? 1928 - 2001 • 1928 Women = vote to men (ie over 21) • 1948 Plural voting (i. e. being eligible to vote in more than one constituency through property or business ownership) was ended. • The universities lost their MPs. • 1970 s franchise moved to over 18 • 2001 Lords: Hereditaries mostly removed

Deeper Reading Task • You’ve just heard a brief lecture • You now need to refresh it for yourself • And get deeper knowledge • Use Kerr ‘Britain and Germany How did democracy increase? Read up to p 17 - add key facts and dates to your timeline to show increased democracy Why were reforms passed? • Take notes under the 3 headings • Popular pressure, political advantage, social change

How democratic was Britain by 1928? Take a double page to sketch the following graph: 100 % All adults over 21 can vote 50 % First attempts at change 1832 1867 1872 1883 1884 1911 1918 1928 1948

1928: Britain - a democratic state? 1. Every citizen over 21 was able to vote secretly in elections, join a political party or stand as a candidate in an election. 2. All elections were carefully controlled and were free from bribery and corruption. 3. The representatives of all the people made the laws.

1928, Britain a democratic state? Measured against these yardsticks was the UK a democratic state in 1928?

Why did democracy grow in Britain? Let us now examine eight general, responsible factors………. .

Why did Britain’s political system change? 18 th century: The American and French Revolutions both attacked the traditional political system of (more or less) absolute monarchy. Under this system a monarch ruled with the blessing of God and the support of the aristocracy, the Church and the army.

New political ideas appeared • The Americans replaced their monarchy with a republic and a written constitution and rule through elected representatives. • The French executed their king and based their new government on many new and revolutionary ideas Liberty Fraternity Equality • These ideas had a political effect here especially in the years up to 1832.

TASK • Using your booklets, read more about the French Revolution and the impact it had on Britain • Be sure to make a few bullet point notes in your jotters. I will only give you 10 mins!

There were huge economic changes • The Industrial Revolution changed how people lived and worked and destroyed the old social order of landlord/tenant and replaced it with a businessman/employee relationship. • The first had been paternal, sometimes close, the second wasn’t. Something would have to be done to improve employer/employee relations.

Where people lived changed • The factory system of production led to urbanisation which coincided with an unprecedented rise in the population (from 10 to nearly 40 million in 100 years). • This concentrated the people in cities and towns for the first time. Before people had lived in villages in the countryside. • Now people could join together to win changes.

Social conditions got worse • Urbanisation and the low wages paid to workers led to the creation of a huge class of poor, underprivileged people living in terrible homes in terrible streets in crowded towns and cities and subject to frequent outbreaks of disease. • Something had to be done to improve life for them. Protest groups demanded change.

There was a possible threat of revolution • The 18 thc revolutions in Europe were followed by others in the 19 thc. • The British monarchy and aristocracy had been fearful of the same happening in Britain. After all only 5% of the total population could vote or hold political office! • They had wisely allowed slow political reform to avoid such a thing from happening. Though revolution was not a major concern in the UK by 1850.

Education made people more politically aware • The mass of the population was uneducated and illiterate and generally accepted that their ‘betters’ knew best in politics. • This changed as the w/classes became increasingly educated in the 19 th c. • This allowed them to access political information and to become increasingly politicised and politically active.

New organisations wanted political changes • The socially concerned and the politically active set up a range of organisations to press for social improvements across a wide range of social matters. • These included Chartists, Trades Unions, charities, Womens’ Suffrage groups, etc. • Their pressure for political change helped to produce it.

How did the British political system change? • • • 1832 Great Reform Act. = first reform in 100 s of years little change Electorate rose from 13% to 18% of British males. Removed ‘Rotten boroughs’.

Why reform? 1832 Great Reform Act • remove ‘Old Corruption’ • retaining power for aristocracy. • Whigs passed it = one-off reform to release pressure for a revolution

Whigs vs. Tories TORIES • Conservative in their ideas • Represented the gentry and did not look after the working class WHIGS • Liberal in their ideas • Represented the wealthier middle class/business men

How democratic? 1867 Reform Act • 1866 Gladstone’s Liberals = small extension of the franchise but were defeated. • 1867 Disraeli and the Conservatives passed a much more radical act. The Second Reform Act. (Dishing the Whigs – remember!) • Redistributed 53 MPs to new cities eg Liverpool, Brum • +1. 4 m voters, (doubling voters) = 28% of men • Owning or renting £ 10 property (mainly skilled working class men). • SW England still over-represented, Scotland under rep.

Why reform? 1867 Act 1. Fear of Revolution (France 1789, Europe 1848) 2. Chartist campaign 1830 s & 40 s. Millions signed a ‘Charter’ demanding: • all men to vote • Secret • Paid MPs • Annual parliaments • Constituencies of equal population Why might these NOT be that important?

Why reform? 1867 Cont. 3. ‘Great Social Forces’ • Industrial revolution meant pop x 4 1800 -1900 • Huge movements to towns • Growth of middle class with money, who wanted power • Newspapers & rail = national news • Political parties also organised nationally • Education (reading) spread =1870 compulsory primary education

Why reform? 1867 Cont. 4. New ideas • Liberalism = every individual should have rights (JS Mill) • US Civil War = free slaves = freedom for all (British textile workers on strike in support) • Garibaldi- creating free Italy 1867

Why reform? 1867 Cont. 5. Pressure from people • Reform Union & Reform League set up • 100, 000 demonstrated in Glasgow 1866 • Depression meant anger, cholera added to it • Riots in Hyde Park 1866 But the changes were more than Reformers demanded- so was this to blame?

Why reform? 1867 Cont. 6. Political Advantage • New voters would vote for you • Old Whig leader Palmerstone died 1865 (he had blocked reform) • Conservative Lords stopped Libs in 1866 • Disraeli (Con leader) feared that it would happen eventually- out of power for 20 years • So ‘dished the Whigs’ = stole their idea • Disraeli’s Cons passed the 1867 Act

Why did Britain become more democratic? Possible answers: 1. Gradual social change = Education = more literacy, more demands. . . 2. New ideas = from USA etc 3. Pressure groups = people demanding change 4. Fear of revolution = rulers changing for fear of something worse 5. Technological change = newspapers, railways, libraries etc 6. War = WWI = disruptive change 7. Political advantage = parties introduced changes to win elections

Why did Britain become more democratic? more demands. . . 1. Gradual social change = Education = more literacy, 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. New ideas = from USA etc Pressure groups = people demanding change Fear of revolution = rulers changing for fear of something worse Technological change = newspapers, railways, libraries etc War = WWI = disruptive change Political advantage = parties introduced changes to win elections 8. Make a post it for each change, briefly describe it (1867, 1872, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1911, 1918, 1928) 9. Explain why it happened to class 10. Put it on the timeline on the board 11. Now re-group post its under the headings above

TASK… Rank the 6 reasons- which do you think was most important for change in 1867?

Look at this picture. Explain why the 1872 & 1883 acts were so important to British Democracy.

How reformed? 1872 Secret Ballot Act 1883 Corrupt & Illegal Practices Act • by Gladstone’s Liberal government. • = secret voting. • Corruption stopped by Gladstone’s 1883 Corrupt and Illegal Practices Act. • = banned bribery

How reformed? 1884 Reform Act • same franchise to county and borough (town) seats all over the UK. About 60% of males could now vote. • Same no. of voters per MP • (so 79 towns gained, 36 lost) • 1885 - The. Redistribution. Actadjustedthe size and distribution of parliamentary constituencies.

Why reformed? 1884 Reform Act • Little popular pressure 1872, 1883, 1884, 1885 (a little from Reform League & Unions) • So = political advantage • Liberals poorer than Cons, so passed 1872, 1883 • Both wanted the new voters for them • So Libs & Cons did a deal over 1884 & 1885. Libs got 1884 in return for new constituencies which helped the Cons.

How Reformed? 1911 Parliament Act • Liberals planned to tax heavily to spend on new pensions, education etc for poor • Lords blocked Liberal budget • After 2 elections 1910 • King threatened to create 100 s of Liberal Lords • Lords lost its powers to reject bills passed by the House of Commons • could only delay them for 2 (later 1) years.

Why reform? 1911 Parliament Act • King • Recognised 2 democratic elections as more important than Lords

How Reform: 1911 Payment of MPs • • MPs were traditionally aristocrats. So they weren’t paid. So working class men couldn’t afford to be MPs 1911 Liberals gave MPs a salary of £ 400 pa. Why Reform? • Deal to get Labour support for dealing with Lords (political advantage)

How reformed? 1918 Representation of the People Act • Extended the vote to all men over 21 and all women over 30. • Franchise = British citizenship & age (not property)

Why reformed? 1918 Act 1. War • Workers and women had fought & died in war • Conscription had forced many (responsibility) • So gained right to decide what country did 2. Social change • Women’s increasing rights eg voted in local elections in 1880 s • New Zealand gave women vote 1899

Why reform: 1918 Act 3. Popular Pressure • National Union of Womens’ Suffrage Societies (Suffragists) • And The Womens’ Social and Political Union (Suffragettes)

Did the reforms change the political system? • New franchise meant many more supporters to organise • So political parties developed new ways of organising their supporters

Party Organisation • much tighter parties, • based upon a shared set of political aims • Made it clearer to persuade people to vote for them • Fulltime party agents • branch associations =National Liberal Federation (1877) & Union of Conservative and Constitutional Associations (Conservative Central Office) (1867) • ? More democratic?

Why did women get the vote? Possible reasons: • Changing attitudes • Suffragist pressure • Suffragette pressure • Politicians (mistakes / changing their minds) • WWI Use the information sheet to put together a timeline of each improvement in womens rights: 1800 s, 1867/84, 1888, 1860 -90, 1899, 1897, 1914,

How did women’s rights improve? Use the information sheet to put together a timeline of each improvement in women’s rights: 1800 s seen as inferior because… 1867/84 1888 married women’s property act 1860 -90 1899 New Zealand gives women the vote 1897 1903 1910 -12 Home rule crisis (Ulster crisis) in Ireland 1913 1914 1917 1918 1928

How reform? 1928 - 2001 • 1928 Women = vote to men (ie over 21) • 1948 Plural voting (i. e. being eligible to vote in more than one constituency through property or business ownership) was ended. • The universities lost their MPs. • 1970 s franchise moved to over 18 • 2001 Lords: Hereditaries mostly removed

Question By 1928, was Britain a fully democratic country? In a paragraph explain whether you agree or disagree with this.

House of the Lords vs. House of commons House of Lords • Hold hereditary positions (now chosen by the PM and some still hold hereditary posts • Examine/criticise/revise untidy parts of legislation • Could stop bills from going through (veto) HAD TO CHANGE IF DEMOCRACY WAS TO GROW House of Commons • Elected by the people and represents them • They initiate legislative bills

Conclusions: by 1928 • the vote was extended to all men and women over 21. • Voting could be done in secret. • M/class & W/class people could stand as MPs. • Corruption had been tackled. • MPs were fairly distributed over the UK. • The House of Lords had its powers reduced. • The Party System had appeared.

Remember for democracy to work you must vote! House of Commons House of Lords

TASK Using your text book, answer one of the essay questions on page 46. Be sure to include the following into your essays: 1. An introduction and conclusion 2. Each paragraph should discuss a new argument