Democratic Reform After The Chartists
- Created by: SGriffin49
- Created on: 01-07-21 10:24
View mindmap
- Democratic Reform After The Chartists
- Social and Political Reform 1832-1867
- The voting system put in place by the 1832 Reform Act stayed in tact up to 1867 but was put under pressure through the 1840s and 1850s by reformist movements.
- By the early 1860s around 1.5 million men could vote out of a population of 30 million.
- The lack of secret ballots meant many voters were bribed or intimidated.
- The system was still very unfair and did not offer equal representatio-n.
- Parliamentary Reform Act 1867
- Increased the number of men allowed to vote to almost 2.5 million.
- MPs did not believe that the working class would make huge demands on MPs.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli believed that the working class only cared about 'keeping housed, fed and clothed'.
- This act gave most working class men in towns the right to vote. However, voting was still dominated by the middle classes.
- The biggest change was that people who rented property could vote.
- Reforms 1870-1871
- The Education Act was passed in 1870 which led to 3000-4000 new schools being built for 5-12 year olds between 1870 and 1880.
- The new schools were not free!
- The Bank Holiday Act in 1871 gave everyone holidays from work by law.
- The Trade Union Act protected the rights of workers to form a trade union.
- The Secret Ballot Act 1872
- Voting was now to be done in secret to deal with issues of bribery, intimidation and corruption.
- The act did not bring an end to the bribery but it made a significant difference.
- Polling booths were introduced.
- Social Reform 1874-1875
- A number of acts were passed that were designed to improve working and living conditions.
- The Factory Act of 1874 reduced the number of hours people had to work and gave them Saturday afternoon off.
- The Public Health Act of 1875 ensured that towns had clean water and removed sewage and waste.
- The Artisans Dwelling Act encouraged local councils to build better quality houses.
- The Sale of Food and Medicines Act ensured the quality of food and medicines.
- Parliamentary Reform Act 1884
- It was recognised in the 1880s that voters in counties deserved the same political rights as voters in boroughs.
- The 1884 Parliamentary Reform Act created a uniformed system across the country.
- The right to vote was given to most men in the countryside as well as towns
- About 2 in 3 men could not vote, almost 18% of the population.
- Social and Political Reform 1832-1867
Comments
No comments have yet been made