1 / 77

How democratic was Britain by … 1911, 1928? Why did Britain become more democratic?

How democratic was Britain by … 1911, 1928? Why did Britain become more democratic?. Possible answers: Gradual social change = Education = more literacy, more demands... New ideas = from USA etc Pressure groups = people demanding change

pmcbride
Télécharger la présentation

How democratic was Britain by … 1911, 1928? Why did Britain become more democratic?

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. How democratic was Britain by … 1911, 1928?Why did Britain become more democratic?

  2. Possible answers: Gradual social change = Education = more literacy, more demands... New ideas = from USA etc Pressure groups = people demanding change Fear of revolution = rulers changing for fear of something worse Technological change = newspapers, railways, libraries etc War = WWI = disruptive change Political advantage = parties introduced changes to win elections Why did Britain become more democratic?

  3. Britain A Democracy?

  4. Scotland & Britain 1850-1950 • We live in a democracy. But what is a ‘democracy’?

  5. Voting = people put hands up to decide something • Different classes eg rich run everything • Parliament = passes law • = MPs = vote for them = they represent us • For who runs the country • Different opinions – debate • Deciding laws • Fair trials – speak for themselves • Help create own society • Fair – not just 1 person to decide • People decide • Strikes = workers can stop working

  6. A democracy is... Copy! • A way of running a country • Where people choose the government • By voting

  7. What makes a democracy? • Think through a democratic election- • What is necessary for it to happen? • Clues: • Voters • Franchise • Secret • Constituencies • Fairness • Media • MPs http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=blackadder+third+election&FORM=VIRE1#view=detail&mid=BF6C922969E09CB316C2BF6C922969E09CB316C2

  8. How does something get decided in Britain? • Franchise • Constituency • Elections (First-past-the-post) • MP (party) • Parliament- House of Commons • Parliament- House of Lords • Bill • Law • Royal assent • Government- Ministers Copy: This is the order of events & people needed to decide something in Britain. = how power is controlled Task: Explain each one. Then explain how your opinions might end up changing something

  9. http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/10934/david_hamilton/midlothian#profilehttp://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/10934/david_hamilton/midlothian#profile

  10. Role play democracy • Power = sweeties • Monarchy or aristocracy • Direct Democracy (Athens) • Representative democracy -Different franchises (money, sex, citizenship, age) • Different sized constituencies • First past the post • Proportional Representation • Open ballot & corruption We will attempt to role play a whole variety of ways in which you can choose what happens to the power (chocolate). For each one explain the advantages and disadvantages of the system.

  11. Glossary • Monarchy • Constituency • Rotten borough • Franchise • vote

  12. Democratic stories Citizen Neil lives in Athens in 450 BC. It is time to decide whether to go to war with Sparta. Neil goes to the hill of the Pyx. He is allowed to go because he is a man and a citizen, his wife, children and slaves are not allowed to go. He listens to the arguments for and against a war and then he votes by raising his hand. Next week there’s a vote on whether or not to kill a traitor called Socrates. This time he votes by throwing a black or white piece of pot onto a pile. The largest pile wins.

  13. Democratic stories Peasant Beth lives in Scotland in 1080 AD. The King decides what happens to him. Lord Kieran lives in England in 1215 AD. Luckily for him he is a very rich landowner and the King has just allowed them to help him make decisions. He meets with other Lords in the ‘House of Lords’. They agree how much tax the King can take. They also get this decision checked by a house of the riches businessmen and farmers. This is called the ‘House of Commons’. There are too many commoners to fit in the house so they choose someone from each town to represent them in the ‘House of Commons’. Together the House of Commons and the House of Lords make up the Parliament.

  14. Democratic stories Jade lives in Glasgow in 1830. She can’t vote because she’s female, she lives in Scotland (most MPs are in Cornwall), she’s too young (you have to be 21), because there aren’t any elections for years, she doesn’t own a big enough house. Even if she could vote it would need 300,000 other Glaswegians to agree with her to get an MP elected (there are 600,000 voters in Glasgow). Kieran lives in Dunwich in 1830, or he would if the town still existed- but it’s been washed away in the last 600 years. However he still get a vote along with his 32 neighbours. Because there are only 33 of them, it only needs 18 of them to agree to choose an MP. People come and pay them lots of money to vote for them, there also tends to be lots of beer.

  15. What are these problems with democracy in 1830? • King George IV • 4 % could vote • ‘rotten boroughs’ • 2 parties – Whigs, Tories • ‘pocket boroughs’ • Bribery legal • Dunwich. By 1832 much of it had collapsed into the sea but its 32 voters still returned two MPs to the House of Commons. • Cornwall had 44 MPs, more than all of Scotland • Only men could vote, or be MPs • You needed to be rich to vote • Old Sarum had seven voters living in three houses but elected two MPs to Parliament. Gatton in Surrey had just 7 for 2 MPs

  16. How un-democratic was Britain in 1850? • Answer these questions and give examples. Then explain how each made Britain un-democratic. • Who could vote? • What gave you the right to vote? • How often could you vote? • How fair were constituencies? • Was there corruption? • Was voting secret? • Who could be elected? • Were there parties to vote for? • How did you find out about parties? • Was Parliament elected?

  17. How un-democratic was Britain in 1850? • Answer these questions and give examples. Then explain how each made Britain un-democratic. • Who could vote? • What gave you the right to vote? • How often could you vote? • How fair were constituencies? • Was there corruption? • Was voting secret? • Who could be elected? • Were there parties to vote for? • How did you find out about parties? • Was Parliament elected?

  18. How democratic was Britain by 1928? Take a double page to sketch the following graph: 100 % 50 % 1832 1867 1872 1883 1884 1911 1918 1928 1948 All adults over 21 can vote First attempts at change First attempts at change

  19. Britain, 1850. A democratic state? Copy! 1. The majority of its citizens played absolutely no part in the political process. They could not vote, join a political party or become MPs. 2. Bribery and corruption were common during elections. Voting was not secret. 3. Laws were made by the representatives of only some of the people. Political power lay in the hands of the monarchy, the landed aristocracy and those of wealth and property in the land.

  20. 1850: Britain- a democratic state? Measured against these yardsticks was the UK a democratic state in 1850? Write a paragraph stating whether you feel the UK was democratic in the 1850's and why.

  21. What was democracy like in 1830? • Franchise-based on land • Franchise based on sex • Elections corrupt • Constituencies unfair • King and Lords had power remember this is not part of the period you study...

  22. How did the British political system change? • 1832 Great Reform Act. • = first reform in 100s of years • little change • Electorate rose from 13% to 18% of British males. • Removed ‘Rotten boroughs’. remember this is not part of the period you study...

  23. Who was who? • Liberal party = Gladstone • Conservative party = Disraeli

  24. Remember the problems: • Franchise • Constituencies • Elections • Monarchy and Lords • corruption

  25. How democratic? 1867 Reform Act • 1866 Gladstone’s Liberals = small extension of the franchise but were defeated. • 1867 Disraeli and the Conservatives passed a much more radical act. The Second Reform Act. (Dishing the Whigs – remember!) • Redistributed 53 MPs to new cities eg Liverpool, Brum • +1.4 m voters, (doubling voters) = 28% of men • Owning or renting £10 property (mainly skilled working class men). • SW England still over-represented, Scotland under rep.

  26. How reformed? 1872 Secret Ballot Act1883 Corrupt & Illegal Practices Act • by Gladstone’s Liberal government. • = secret voting. • Corruption stopped by Gladstone’s 1883 Corrupt and Illegal Practices Act. • = banned bribery

  27. How reformed? 1884 Reform Act • same franchise to county and borough (town) seats all over the UK. About 60% of males could now vote. • Same no. of voters per MP • (so 79 towns gained, 36 lost) • 1885 - The Redistribution Act adjusted the size and distribution of parliamentary constituencies.

  28. How Reformed? 1911 Parliament Act • Liberals planned to tax heavily to spend on new pensions, education etc for poor • Lords blocked Liberal budget • After 2 elections 1910 • King threatened to create 100s of Liberal Lords • Lords lost its powers to reject bills passed by the House of Commons • could only delay them for 2 (later 1) years.

  29. How reformed? 1918 Representation of the People Act • Extended the vote to all men over 21 and all women over 30. • Franchise = British citizenship & age (not property)

  30. How reform? 1928- 2001 • 1928 Women = vote to men (ie over 21) • 1948 Plural voting (i.e. being eligible to vote in more than one constituency through property or business ownership) was ended. • The universities lost their MPs. • 1970s franchise moved to over 18 • 2001 Lords: Hereditaries mostly removed

  31. Deeper Reading Task • You’ve just heard a brief lecture • You now need to refresh it for yourself • And get deeper knowledge • Use Kerr ‘Britain and Germany How did democracy increase? Read up to p17- add key facts and dates to your timeline to show increased democracy Why were reforms passed? • Take notes under the 3 headings • Popular pressure, political advantage, social change

  32. How democratic was Britain by 1928? Take a double page to sketch the following graph: 100 % 50 % 1832 1867 1872 1883 1884 1911 1918 1928 1948 All adults over 21 can vote First attempts at change First attempts at change

  33. 1928: Britain - a democratic state? Copy! 1. Every citizen over 21 was able to vote secretly in elections, join a political party or stand as a candidate in an election. 2. All elections were carefully controlled and were free from bribery and corruption. 3. The representatives of all the people made the laws.

  34. 1928, Britain a democratic state? Measured against these yardsticks was the UK a democratic state in 1928?

  35. Why did democracy grow in Britain? summarise these factors Let us now examine eight general, responsible factors………..

  36. Why did Britain’s political system change? 18th century: The American and French Revolutions both attacked the traditional political system of (more or less) absolute monarchy. Under this system a monarch ruled with the blessing of God and the support of the aristocracy, the Church and the army.

  37. New political ideas appeared • The Americans replaced their monarchy with a republic and a written constitution and rule through elected representatives. • The French executed their king and based their new government on many new and revolutionary ideas Liberty Fraternity Equality • These ideas had a political effect here especially in the years up to 1832.

  38. TASK • Using your booklets, read more about the French Revolution and the impact it had on Britain • Be sure to make a few bullet point notes in your jotters. I will only give you 10mins! Page 19

  39. There were huge economic changes • The Industrial Revolution changed how people lived and worked and destroyed the old social order of landlord/tenant and replaced it with a businessman/employee relationship. • The first had been paternal, sometimes close, the second wasn’t. Something would have to be done to improve employer/employee relations.

  40. Where people lived changed • The factory system of production led to urbanisation which coincided with an unprecedented rise in the population (from 10 to nearly 40 million in 100 years). • This concentrated the people in cities and towns for the first time. Before people had lived in villages in the countryside. • Now people could join together to win changes.

  41. Social conditions got worse • Urbanisation and the low wages paid to workers led to the creation of a huge class of poor, underprivileged people living in terrible homes in terrible streets in crowded towns and cities and subject to frequent outbreaks of disease. • Something had to be done to improve life for them. Protest groups demanded change.

  42. There was a possible threat of revolution • The 18thc revolutions in Europe were followed by others in the 19thc. • The British monarchy and aristocracy had been fearful of the same happening in Britain. After all only 5% of the total population could vote or hold political office! • They had wisely allowed slow political reform to avoid such a thing from happening. Though revolution was not a major concern in the UK by 1850.

  43. Education made people more politically aware • The mass of the population was uneducated and illiterate and generally accepted that their ‘betters’ knew best in politics. • This changed as the w/classes became increasingly educated in the 19th c. • This allowed them to access political information and to become increasingly politicised and politically active.

  44. New organisations wanted political changes • The socially concerned and the politically active set up a range of organisations to press for social improvements across a wide range of social matters. • These included Chartists, Trades Unions, charities, Womens’ Suffrage groups, etc. • Their pressure for political change helped to produce it.

  45. How did the British political system change? • 1832 Great Reform Act. • = first reform in 100s of years • little change • Electorate rose from 13% to 18% of British males. • Removed ‘Rotten boroughs’. remember this is not part of the period you study...

  46. Why reform? 1832 Great Reform Act • remove ‘Old Corruption’ • retaining power for aristocracy. • Whigs passed it = one-off reform to release pressure for a revolution

  47. TORIES Conservative in their ideas Represented the gentry and did not look after the working class WHIGS Liberal in their ideas Represented the wealthier middle class/business men Whigs vs. Tories copy Who were they?

  48. How democratic? 1867 Reform Act • 1866 Gladstone’s Liberals = small extension of the franchise but were defeated. • 1867 Disraeli and the Conservatives passed a much more radical act. The Second Reform Act. (Dishing the Whigs – remember!) • Redistributed 53 MPs to new cities eg Liverpool, Brum • +1.4 m voters, (doubling voters) = 28% of men • Owning or renting £10 property (mainly skilled working class men). • SW England still over-represented, Scotland under rep.

  49. Why reform? 1867 Act • Fear of Revolution (France 1789, Europe 1848) • Chartist campaign 1830s & 40s. Millions signed a ‘Charter’ demanding: • all men to vote • Secret • Paid MPs • Annual parliaments • Constituencies of equal population Why might these NOT be that important?

  50. Why reform? 1867 Cont. 3. ‘Great Social Forces’ • Industrial revolution meant pop x4 1800-1900 • Huge movements to towns • Growth of middle class with money, who wanted power • Newspapers & rail = national news • Political parties also organised nationally • Education (reading) spread =1870 compulsory primary education

More Related