Does the Great Reform Act deserve its title?
In 1832, parliament passed an act changing the way M.P.s were elected and the way Parliament was run, this resulted significant changes. The act was designed to “take effectual measures for correcting diverse abuses that have long prevailed in the choice of members to serve in the commons house of Parliament”. In this essay I will assess the changes and come to a conclusion as to whether the act was a great reform.
Before 1832, there was a huge need for reform because the situation had been unchanged since the 1680’s. Due to the change in the population and economy of Britain because of the Industrial Revolution the constituencies had become very unequal. The vast majority of people didn’t have a vote, only 1 in 20 adult males could vote before the reform. Voting was done publicly, there were no secret ballots and a lot of voting was rigged or people had been bribed.