Democracy in Britain

Democracy in Britain

Discuss the view that Britain was a democratic country by 1914.

In comparison to previous years, Britain had seen a massive progress in democracy by 1914. Before 1850, the vote was only given to the wealthy British landowners, and politicians turned a blind eye to the rest of the population. The poor were ignored and did not have any say at all in how their country was run. By 1914, roughly 2 in 3 men could vote, including most working class men. However there are many other factors and inequalities in the government that would have to seen to before the country could be considered democratic.

The Secret Ballot Act of 1872 is viewed as a very noteworthy progression towards democracy because at the time, it made a big difference. Previously, police had been required in some constituencies to maintain order, whereas once the 1872 act was passed, newspapers reported: "Since the passing of the ballot act of we have never had the slightest trouble at any election." It avoided bribery and intimidation at elections, and broke the power of big landlords in rural areas, making the elections significantly fairer.   The 1872 Act was backed up by the Corrupt and Illegal Practices Act of 1833, which criminalised bribery to an extent that was punishable by a fine, suspension from parliament or even imprisonment. It also limited spending and made it crucial that all spending be accounted for during campaigning.

The 1885 Redistribution of the seats act was a vital contribution to democracy because it meant fairer representation of the population to make voting more equal. As urbanisation grew; and small rural communities moved from the countryside to the growing towns and cities, the political map of Britain changed, and problems arose. The Scottish Highlands of which had a population of only a few thousand people were represented by 8 MPs whilst Glasgow, which at the time hosted 1/2 million inhabitants had only 3 MPs; meaning overrepresentation in...