Long term factors affecting the franchise

Higher

Effect of a changing population

• Demographic = changes in population• Population grew but also distribution

changed• Main change = more people left rural areas

and moved into towns• By 1850s population in towns = pop in

countryside (England)• Scotland – change slower but by 1900

migration from Highlands & Islands and Borders created same situation

• By 1950: Scotland’s urban population far bigger than rural

The effect of the industrial revolution

• Historically, political power in hands of people who owned vast areas of British land

• Most wealthy and most powerful people in Britain

• Industrial revolution changed that = new wealth lay in factory owners, mine owners and those involved in trade/business

• Wealthy middle class now wanted a say in the running of country

• Argued they as wealth creators should have more power to change things

More effects of urbanisation & industrialisation

• Growing class awareness of the working classes also added pressure

• Realised they too were wealth creators yet had no power

• Yet in cities, working classes saw thousands of people in same situation as themselves

• Perhaps, if they united, change could be achieved

Access to Information

• The Education Act, 1870 (1872 in Scotland) helped to increase literacy within the country so that information about political parties and their policies became more accessible to the mass of the population.

• Political meetings, public libraries and daily, national newspapers became vital sources of information.

• The development of the railways from the 1850s was also crucial to the spread of information, either through the spoken or written word.

Link to reforms

• Look at acts passed• Link between social and economic

change and these reforms is that in 1832 greater influence was given to middle class and by 1867 vote was given to skilled working class in towns

• 1884: rural workers were included• Changes all show the drift of power to

urban industrial Britain• The long-term overarching reasons

were having an effect

Link to reforms

• Social and economic changes in 19th century also had effect on power of land-owning rich = it declined!

• Other changes such as secret ballot took away power of old authority to bully the new voters

• Redistribution of seats 1867, 1885 and 1918 recognised political power now lay with people of Britain and the majority lived in towns

• Old fashioned idea that land owners should rule Britain simply because they owned the land had died by 1900

K E.g. for essay

Many historians believe that the Industrial Revolution created such far-reaching changes to British society that it helped to force the British government to extend the franchise. This changed where people worked, where they lived and how they felt about their position in society.

• William Gladstone (Leader of the Liberal Party) was keen to extend voters rights to rural areas. In 1864 he said “every man who is not presumably incapacitated by some consideration of personal fitness or of political danger is morally entitled to come within the pale of the Constitution”

• How did Industrial Revolution change society?• What effect did these changes have on politicians?• How did the attitudes of the middle classes change?• What was the result of the spread of railways/communication?• How did political parties react to this growth of political awareness?

Argument for paragraph• As a result of industrialisation, access to information had increased dramatically. Ended

people’s ignorance of politics. Middle/working class wanted a say.• Spread of cheap newspapers gave British public political information and for first time, an

insight into different policies of the difference parties. Led to raised awareness. Faced with this pressure, parliament had little option but to take steps that led to the growth of democracy

• Development of new printing presses and libraries exposed even more information for the public regarding politics of the country – middle/working class wanted increased participation

• Spread of railways – helped create national political identity – people more aware of issues. • 1872 Education Act meant more people able to understand what was happening in politics,

could participate• Skilled working class essential to British economic success, reform please them• Skilled working class more educated and respectable – shown in support for North in

American Civil War by elements of artisan class – argument for extending the vote in 1867. • Increasing urbanisation led to pressure for redistribution of parliamentary seats – 1867,

1885, 1918. • Therefore Industrial Revolution and better access to information acted as an important

motive for reform• Ignoring the now more politically-informed middle and working classes risked serious protest

and potential revolution unless the franchise was extended.