Which was the most significant Reform, 1830-1931, why?

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6th January 2004 A2 History Which was the most significant Reform, 1830-1931, why? During the period 1830-1931 many reforms were passed resulting in a more democratic Britain, although each were passed for various reasons, each helped in extending the vote (which once was only possessed by the upper class). For a democracy in Britain, there had to be universal suffrage, where every man and women have the right to vote regardless of class. Also a secret ballot must be in place to prevent corruption. Equal sizes of constitutions need to be enforced, with regular elections and elected members of government. In a democracy, the voters must have civil rights, such as freedom of speech and the right to stand in elections. The reforms passed during this century helped progress Britain into a democratic state, such reforms include: The “Great Reform Act” of 1832; The “Second Reform Act” of 1867; “The Third Reform Act” of 1884; “The Representation of the peoples Act” of 1918 and the “Equal Franchise Act” of 1928 along with many others between this period.  Each reform singled out was significant, but which really pushed Britain in the direction of democracy?        The first reform act in 1832 abolished the pocket/rotten borough, which had formed unrepresentative constituencies. It also redistributed seats on a more impartial basis in the counties, and formed some new boroughs. The franchise was extended to male householders in property worth £10 a year or more in the boroughs and to owners of freehold property worth £2 a year, £10 copyholders, or £50 leaseholders in the counties. An area that
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the 1832 Reform Act is usually praised for is the reform of the enfranchisement qualification. Which lead to major cities such as Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds gaining direct representation in Parliament for the first time. It had increased the electorate dramatically from 478,000 to 813,000, although this was only 8% of the total adult population, it did offer the vote to an extra 335,000 males. This act was an important, first step towards the establishment of Britain as a modern, democratic and representative state. J.R.M Butler quotes that the Reform Act ‘placed the feet of the nation firmly in the ...

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