Parliamentary Reform from 1868-1885

What was the origins of the 1872 Ballots Act?

A Liberal MP proposed secret ballots through a private members bill (not through Gladstone- he opposed secret ballots)

What did Gladstone and the Liberals pledge for parliamentary reform in 1877?

To equalise the vote between urban and rural householders- extend the franchise more to the counties

When was the Corrupt and Illegal Practises Prevention Act passed and what did it do?

1883- curtailed financial corruption and regulated campaign spending in response to public opinion on corrupt MPs

What were the provisions of the 1884 Representation of the People Act?

Extended the vote to rural householders in the counties to make it equal to the urban householders-- Gladstone's reform

What did the Conservatives do to Gladstone's Franchise Act in 1884?

The Conservative Lords blocked it because they feared the bill would damage the Conservatives politically-- shows the influence of party politics on parliamentary reform

How much did the electorate grow after the 1884 Representation of the People Act?

It doubled to 5million

What did Lord Salisbury's 1885 Redistribution of Seats Act do?

Constituencies were now similar size geographically and in terms of population- more proportional

How did Cornwall's MP representation change following the 1885 Redistribution Act?

Cornwall, as a sparsely populated area, went from 44 MPs to 14MPsm -- fixes rural overrepresentation

What was the effect of the 1885 Redistribution Act in terms of class and constituencies?

It led to constituencies that were prominently middle class and prominently working class- 'villa toryism' is born, this benefits conservatives

At the start of the period 1851-1885, was issue were rural or urban areas over-represented by MPs?

RURAL overrepresentation was the issue-- this isn't really solved by 1867 but it IS solved by 1885

What did the Second Reform Act of 1867 do?

It extended the franchise to all male urban householders-- this was most but not all workers + did not really address rural overrepresentation

What issues remained with the electoral system even after 1885?

Women disenfranchised, plural voting remained, MPs were unpaid

What extra-parliamentary factors influenced the extension of the franchise during 1851-1885?

The Reform League and Reform Union, international events increasing a democratic atmosphere, improved living standards for skilled workers

What did skilled workers do to prove their deserving the franchise?

They formed Friendly Societies-- self-help, showed responsibility

What was the Reform League vs the Reform Union?

Reform League: Mainly working class, trade union members for extending the franchise
Reform Union: Mainly middle class, want secret ballot and redistribution of seates

Which international events encouraged democratic sentiment in the UK?

US civil war, Italian reunification-- Garibaldi visits London to mass support

How did parliamentary reform arguably link to educational reform?

The 1870 Education Act was passed to educate the new working class electorate

Were the Liberals united on extending the rural vote and why?

YES, the Whigs needed more rural votes and so approved of it-- this united meant that there was no possibility of 'dishing the Whigs'

What kind of suffrage did Chamberlain campaign for?

In the radical 'unauthorised programme' Chamberlain campaigned for universal male suffrage

How did the Conservatives in the House of Lords capitalise on the passage of Gladstone's 1884 ROTPA ?

They refused to let it pass the Lords unless it was accompanied by redistribution to compensate for the loss of seats that would arise from rural enfranchisement

____ of men were enfranchised after 1867, ____ of men were enfranchised after 1884

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