How democratic was the British parliamentary system by 1914.

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How Democratic was the British Parliamentary

System by 1914

There is no doubt that by 1914 Britain was a democratic country. Compared to the 19th century where the country was governed by the so-called ‘natural leaders’ and the monarch, it had gone far to reach the level of democracy. The main reason that ‘triggered’ of the rest of the changes was the constant legislation and reform acts being passed. This was vital because not only did it improve social conditions but also increased the franchise. This meant more and more people getting the vote which gradually decreased the power of both the Monarchy and House of Lords, who had taken it as their duty to rule the country.

As mentioned above the main reason for Britain becoming a democratic state was the constant legislation being passed. In essence democracy means for the people by the people. However it had progressed greatly form the early 19th century. The first great reform that took place was the Great Reform Act of 1832. This was the first great reform and many politicians after this predicted that more reform was inevitable. Peel said, ‘I was unwilling to open the door which I saw no prospect of being able to close,’ and how right he was. Although with hindsight it can be seen that it wasn’t as great as it seemed, the major thing was that it was one of the first steps of both the Monarchy and House of Lords losing some of their power. The results were that males who occupied homes with an annual value of £10 could vote. At this point one in seven adults could vote. This was shortly followed by the by the 1835 Municipal Corporations Act which not only abolished closed corporations, but allowed all male ratepayers who had been living in the area for three years to vote. Towns and cities that had no councils could apply to become a borough therefore increasing the franchise. Although this saw a marked improvement in the system it still wasn’t democratic, as the middle classes were the main beneficiaries.

 The Second Reform Act of 1967 allowed all male householders who had lived there for more than twelve months to vote but also lodgers who paid more then £10 pa. Also householders and landowners in the counties, whose property was worth more than £5 could also vote. This act not only increased the franchise by 1,120,00 but also took away seats for corruption and from places with less inhabitants. It also gave twenty-five seats to the Counties. Britain seemed to be getting more and more democratic. The franchise was increasing yet the way the elections were run was still unfair and corrupt. Many people were pressured or threatened to vote for their MP and so the next two acts passed were more to do with corruption rather than democracy. The Ballot Act 1872 and The Corrupt & Illegal Practices Prevention Act 1883 although didn’t cut down corruption overnight it reduced the influence the landlords could exert and made elections cheaper by maximising legal expenses and employees. The Corrupt Practices act also forbade hired vehicles to carry voters and stopped the policy known as, ‘Colourable employment,’ whereby the landlords employed extra family members to persuade them to vote for them. The Franchise Act 1884 was of great significance as it allowed all male householders and lodgers who paid £10 pa to vote considering they had lived there for one year. It also applied the £10 franchise to those who occupied shops and offices, therefore increasing the franchise from three million to six million. The Redistribution Act 1885 corresponded more realistically with the distribution of the population, and 33 new constituencies and county divisions were cut in to single member constituencies. There were still differences within the classes as many working classes still didn’t have the vote and found it difficult to stand for elections as it was expensive. The 1911 Payment of MP’s act ensured that all MP’s get paid £400 per annum, which was a substantial middle class salary. Apart from the women getting the vote the 1918 Representation of the People Act was as democratic as could be at the time. After the war the Conservative Party who had the reputation of being the, ‘Patriotic party,’ passed this legislation. Now all men over 21 and those aged 19 who had served in the war could vote. Also women over 30 years who themselves, or their husbands were householders could vote. Plural voting was limited and seats redistributed to create uniform single member consituencies. The thing about this act was that it didn’t come about from any great demand or clamour, but from the politicians themselves. They used their initiative and realised people expected reform therefore showing that Britains parliamentary system was becoming democratic.

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The legislation was an important factor as it increased the franchise and in the end gave right of vote to all men, however without the monarchy losing power this might have not been possible. Britain has an unwritten constitution in which the Monarch is head of state and so in theory has ultimate power. Yet after 1815 this wasn’t the case as the Monarch gradually lost power for many reasons. In theory they still had all the power as before but in practice because of the increase in franchise were afraid to use it as it may cause a ...

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