Post by abigail robinson on Aug 15, 2012 22:17:59 GMT
By 1928, Britain had a fully democratic country. '' How valid is this view?'' Abigail Robinson
Democracy is a system of goverment ' of the people, by the people, for the people ' (Abraham Lincoln). In 1851, Britain was clearly not a very
democratic country because the majority of men and all woman were denied the right to vote. However By 1928 a series of reforms had been
passed to help Britain meet the seven ''hallmarks'' of democracy. These include the franchise ( The right to vote), a fair voting system, accountablity,
a fair choice of parties, access to information, a national party system and participation - the right to stand for election to parliament. Historians debate
the extent to which Britain has met these hallmarks and become a fully democratic country by 1928. This essay will argue that whilst Britain was
essentially a fully democratic country by 1928, there was still a number of anomalies which prevented Britain from being a perfect democracy.
Arguably the most important hallmark of a democracy is the franchise. For a country to be truly democratic , there should be universal suffrage - all
adults should be able to vote on equal terms. In 1851, Britain was clearly undemocratic in this respect since 6 out of 7 men and all woman were
disenfranchised. However, a number of pieces of legislation were passed to extent the franchise and make Britain more democratic. The 1867
Second Reform Act gave the vote to skilled working class men for the first time and meant that 1 in 3 men could now vote.
The 1884 Third Reform Act extended the vote to more respectable working class men and meant 2 in 3 men could now vote. The 1918
Representation of the people act enfranchised all men over 21 and most woman over 30, provided they were householders, the wives of
householders or university graduates. The 1928 Representation Of The Peoples Act enfranchised all men and woman over 21 on equal terms.
However, there was still an anomalie in Britain democratic system since university graduates were allowed two votes ( one in their home constituency
and in their university constituency) until 1954. Therefore, Britian had essentially met the hallmark of the franchise by 1928 since it had universal
suffrage, but still some imperfections in Britains voting system.
A fair voting system is another important hallmark in the democratic society. To have a fair voting system seats should be fairly disbuted and there
should be no bribery or corruption. In 1851, Britain did not have a fair voting system meaning Britain was undemocratic. However, a number of
legislations were passed to stop intimidation and bribery and to also expand the disbution of seats that would make Britain more democratic. The
1872 Ballot Act was introduced to make sure they could all vote in private and so they were not exposed to intimidations. The 1883 Corrupt and
illegal Practice Act expanded the candidates election expenses by the size of the constituency and it established what campaign money could be
spent on. Also if any active involvement in corruption was punishable by a fine or imprisonment. The 1885 Redistribution Of Seats Act aimed to
expand to construct constituencies which contained roughly equal number of voters. Therefore by 1885, seats were fairly distributed. However there
was still an anomaly in Britain's democratic system since Britain still used the ' First Past The Post ' electrol system which many historians argued
was unfair to smaller parties. Therefore, Britain had essentially met the hallmark of fair voting system by 1928.
Another hallmark of democracy in Accountability. For Britain to be a fully democratic society, the parliament should be accountable to people with
general elections. In 1851, Britain was clearly an undemocratic country because the unelected House of Lords could still delay legislation passed by
the House of Commons. However by 1928, a few reforms were pased to try and meet the hallmark of accountability. The 1911 Parliament Act ,
meant that the lords powers over the countries bills that covered taxation and goverment spending was removed, meaning that the lords could only
delay bills over three sessions. Futhermore, this made Great Britain a more accountable government as it stated that every five years a general
elections must take place. However Britain still had a few anomalies in its democratic system. Historians argued that Britain was not accountable as
the House of Lords where still in existance and could still delay legislations. Therefore, Britain had made a great improvement and had partially met
the democracy hallmark of Accountability. However by 1928, they had still not fully met the hallmark and still some imperfections still existed.
For Britain to be a fully democratic country, she had to meet the hallmark of Participation. This was also another important hallmark because if
Britain didn't accept people to stand for election in parliament because of their status, gender or wealth, this would make Britain an undemocratic
country. Therefore by 1928, a number of legislations were passed to meet this hallmark. By 1851, Britain was still a very undemocratic country
because property qualifications meant only wealthy landowners could stand for election. By 1958, Property Qualifications were scraped meaning that
not only could landowners stand for election but also working class people could now stand for election. However, standing for election came at a
price as many could not afford to stand for election, because there was no salary for being an MP. The 1911 Parliament Act , introduced salaries for
MP's meaning that working class men could now afford to stand for parliament. However, there was still an anomaly in Britain's democratic system,
woman were disenfranchised. In 1918, woman were given the vote and they were also given the right to stand for election in Parliament. Futhermore,
this increased Participation in Britain's democratic system and she had finally met the hallmark of participation by 1928. Britain was a more
democratic country as she had achieved the woman's right to vote and the right to stand for election. Also working class adults could now stand for
election and have a salary for being an MP.
Every Democracy System should have a wide choice of parties and candidates to represent all sections of society. Choice is a key feature in every
democracy, however Britain's system was inadequate as there was not a wide range of parties. In 1850, voters had a limited choice of
parties, Britain had two main party systems - Liberals and Conservative - which both represented the wealthy. This was very undemocratic as the
working class were largely disenfranchised as no-one supported their views or their interests. By 1900, the Labour Representation Commitee had
emerged, which represented the working class men. However, there was still an anomaly in the Britain democratic system as only two MP's
participated in this commitee. In 1906, James Keir Hardie began to introduce various elements which then led the Labour Representation Commitee
to become the Labour Party. This then resulted the party to becomea socialist party which improved the living conditions of the working classes.
Also by 1906, the Labour Party gained a total of 29 MP's which then consequently replaced the Liberals as the main opposition to the Conservative
Party. By 1922, another election had taken place which held a total of 142 MP's. Therefore, by 1900, the Labour Party had emerged to represent
their interests of the working classes. For the first time, voters had a real choice between parties with different ideologies and visions of society.
Linked to choice is the importance of making an informative and aware choice based on reliable information. Access to information is essential in the
democratic system. People of Britain need to be well educated, so they make an informed choice when voting. In 1850, the majority of children had
little or no education as some were born just to work in factories, coal mines or industrials to help their family's salary. This was inadequate as 60%
of Britain were illiterate, which resulted in them making an insufficient political choice. By 1876, The Universal Education Act was introduced, which
meant children up to the age of 10 had to be in full time education. This was a major step forward in Britain's literacy as it provided them was basic
knowledge. The introduction of Railways improved the development of national daily newspapers as people all over Britain could keep up to date
news on political changes. The 1918 Education Act raised the school leaving age to 14 years old, Therefore, this dramatically improved the rates of
literacy among the working classes. By 1928, Public libraries were opened, which enabled working classes to access information for the first time.
Futhermore, by 1918, children of the ages fourteen and below had to go to school as it was compulsory. Literacy had massively improved
throughout Britain, also the widespread of national daily newspapers and the coming of public libraries drastically increased people's ability to access
information.
The National Party System must exist in the democratic system and be efficiently communicated to the electorate. Britain needed to be informed of
the parties, political messages and how they are going to make Britain a better society. However, in 1850, there wasn't a party system as allegiances
were very loose and many MP's didn't commit themselves to any particular party, so nobody knew what their policies were and what they were going
to achieve. The 1880 Gladstones Midlothian Campain , emerged which meant that the MP's finally had a chance to communicate their policies clearly
to the electorate. Parties also had to spread there political message by handing out leaflets, putting up posters and organising public meetings.
Futhermore, by 1900, A National Party System had emerged. Parties communicated there policies clearly to the electorate through manifestoes and
techniques such as handing out leaflets/posters throughout Britain. This enabled Britain to make a clear informative choice about what party they
agree with the most.
Clearly, Britain was a far more democratic country in 1928 than it had been in 1851. It had fully met five of the hallmarks of democracy. The franchise
had been extended and there was now universal suffrage for all adults over 21. All adults had the right to participate by standing for election as an
MP, and there was a fair choice of parties as the Labour Party now represented the interests of working-class. Access to information on politics had
improved since the school leaving age had been raised to 14, improving literacy, and parties now published manifestoes which clearly
communicated their politics to the electorate. Futhermore, it had partially met the other two hallmarks of democracy. The voting system was fairer as
seats were being fairly disbuted and bribery and corruption had been virtually wiped out. Parliament was also more accountable since there were
regular general elections. However, there were still some anomalies in Britain's political system. It can be argued that the ' First part of the post '
voting system continued to disadvantaged smaller parties and the unelected House of Lords still had the power to delay legislations which had been
passed by elected MP's in House of Commons. Therefore, in the final analysis, whilst it is valid to hold the view that Britain was a fully democratic
country by 1928, its also fair to note that there still a numberof imperfections in Britain's Political System.
Democracy is a system of goverment ' of the people, by the people, for the people ' (Abraham Lincoln). In 1851, Britain was clearly not a very
democratic country because the majority of men and all woman were denied the right to vote. However By 1928 a series of reforms had been
passed to help Britain meet the seven ''hallmarks'' of democracy. These include the franchise ( The right to vote), a fair voting system, accountablity,
a fair choice of parties, access to information, a national party system and participation - the right to stand for election to parliament. Historians debate
the extent to which Britain has met these hallmarks and become a fully democratic country by 1928. This essay will argue that whilst Britain was
essentially a fully democratic country by 1928, there was still a number of anomalies which prevented Britain from being a perfect democracy.
Arguably the most important hallmark of a democracy is the franchise. For a country to be truly democratic , there should be universal suffrage - all
adults should be able to vote on equal terms. In 1851, Britain was clearly undemocratic in this respect since 6 out of 7 men and all woman were
disenfranchised. However, a number of pieces of legislation were passed to extent the franchise and make Britain more democratic. The 1867
Second Reform Act gave the vote to skilled working class men for the first time and meant that 1 in 3 men could now vote.
The 1884 Third Reform Act extended the vote to more respectable working class men and meant 2 in 3 men could now vote. The 1918
Representation of the people act enfranchised all men over 21 and most woman over 30, provided they were householders, the wives of
householders or university graduates. The 1928 Representation Of The Peoples Act enfranchised all men and woman over 21 on equal terms.
However, there was still an anomalie in Britain democratic system since university graduates were allowed two votes ( one in their home constituency
and in their university constituency) until 1954. Therefore, Britian had essentially met the hallmark of the franchise by 1928 since it had universal
suffrage, but still some imperfections in Britains voting system.
A fair voting system is another important hallmark in the democratic society. To have a fair voting system seats should be fairly disbuted and there
should be no bribery or corruption. In 1851, Britain did not have a fair voting system meaning Britain was undemocratic. However, a number of
legislations were passed to stop intimidation and bribery and to also expand the disbution of seats that would make Britain more democratic. The
1872 Ballot Act was introduced to make sure they could all vote in private and so they were not exposed to intimidations. The 1883 Corrupt and
illegal Practice Act expanded the candidates election expenses by the size of the constituency and it established what campaign money could be
spent on. Also if any active involvement in corruption was punishable by a fine or imprisonment. The 1885 Redistribution Of Seats Act aimed to
expand to construct constituencies which contained roughly equal number of voters. Therefore by 1885, seats were fairly distributed. However there
was still an anomaly in Britain's democratic system since Britain still used the ' First Past The Post ' electrol system which many historians argued
was unfair to smaller parties. Therefore, Britain had essentially met the hallmark of fair voting system by 1928.
Another hallmark of democracy in Accountability. For Britain to be a fully democratic society, the parliament should be accountable to people with
general elections. In 1851, Britain was clearly an undemocratic country because the unelected House of Lords could still delay legislation passed by
the House of Commons. However by 1928, a few reforms were pased to try and meet the hallmark of accountability. The 1911 Parliament Act ,
meant that the lords powers over the countries bills that covered taxation and goverment spending was removed, meaning that the lords could only
delay bills over three sessions. Futhermore, this made Great Britain a more accountable government as it stated that every five years a general
elections must take place. However Britain still had a few anomalies in its democratic system. Historians argued that Britain was not accountable as
the House of Lords where still in existance and could still delay legislations. Therefore, Britain had made a great improvement and had partially met
the democracy hallmark of Accountability. However by 1928, they had still not fully met the hallmark and still some imperfections still existed.
For Britain to be a fully democratic country, she had to meet the hallmark of Participation. This was also another important hallmark because if
Britain didn't accept people to stand for election in parliament because of their status, gender or wealth, this would make Britain an undemocratic
country. Therefore by 1928, a number of legislations were passed to meet this hallmark. By 1851, Britain was still a very undemocratic country
because property qualifications meant only wealthy landowners could stand for election. By 1958, Property Qualifications were scraped meaning that
not only could landowners stand for election but also working class people could now stand for election. However, standing for election came at a
price as many could not afford to stand for election, because there was no salary for being an MP. The 1911 Parliament Act , introduced salaries for
MP's meaning that working class men could now afford to stand for parliament. However, there was still an anomaly in Britain's democratic system,
woman were disenfranchised. In 1918, woman were given the vote and they were also given the right to stand for election in Parliament. Futhermore,
this increased Participation in Britain's democratic system and she had finally met the hallmark of participation by 1928. Britain was a more
democratic country as she had achieved the woman's right to vote and the right to stand for election. Also working class adults could now stand for
election and have a salary for being an MP.
Every Democracy System should have a wide choice of parties and candidates to represent all sections of society. Choice is a key feature in every
democracy, however Britain's system was inadequate as there was not a wide range of parties. In 1850, voters had a limited choice of
parties, Britain had two main party systems - Liberals and Conservative - which both represented the wealthy. This was very undemocratic as the
working class were largely disenfranchised as no-one supported their views or their interests. By 1900, the Labour Representation Commitee had
emerged, which represented the working class men. However, there was still an anomaly in the Britain democratic system as only two MP's
participated in this commitee. In 1906, James Keir Hardie began to introduce various elements which then led the Labour Representation Commitee
to become the Labour Party. This then resulted the party to becomea socialist party which improved the living conditions of the working classes.
Also by 1906, the Labour Party gained a total of 29 MP's which then consequently replaced the Liberals as the main opposition to the Conservative
Party. By 1922, another election had taken place which held a total of 142 MP's. Therefore, by 1900, the Labour Party had emerged to represent
their interests of the working classes. For the first time, voters had a real choice between parties with different ideologies and visions of society.
Linked to choice is the importance of making an informative and aware choice based on reliable information. Access to information is essential in the
democratic system. People of Britain need to be well educated, so they make an informed choice when voting. In 1850, the majority of children had
little or no education as some were born just to work in factories, coal mines or industrials to help their family's salary. This was inadequate as 60%
of Britain were illiterate, which resulted in them making an insufficient political choice. By 1876, The Universal Education Act was introduced, which
meant children up to the age of 10 had to be in full time education. This was a major step forward in Britain's literacy as it provided them was basic
knowledge. The introduction of Railways improved the development of national daily newspapers as people all over Britain could keep up to date
news on political changes. The 1918 Education Act raised the school leaving age to 14 years old, Therefore, this dramatically improved the rates of
literacy among the working classes. By 1928, Public libraries were opened, which enabled working classes to access information for the first time.
Futhermore, by 1918, children of the ages fourteen and below had to go to school as it was compulsory. Literacy had massively improved
throughout Britain, also the widespread of national daily newspapers and the coming of public libraries drastically increased people's ability to access
information.
The National Party System must exist in the democratic system and be efficiently communicated to the electorate. Britain needed to be informed of
the parties, political messages and how they are going to make Britain a better society. However, in 1850, there wasn't a party system as allegiances
were very loose and many MP's didn't commit themselves to any particular party, so nobody knew what their policies were and what they were going
to achieve. The 1880 Gladstones Midlothian Campain , emerged which meant that the MP's finally had a chance to communicate their policies clearly
to the electorate. Parties also had to spread there political message by handing out leaflets, putting up posters and organising public meetings.
Futhermore, by 1900, A National Party System had emerged. Parties communicated there policies clearly to the electorate through manifestoes and
techniques such as handing out leaflets/posters throughout Britain. This enabled Britain to make a clear informative choice about what party they
agree with the most.
Clearly, Britain was a far more democratic country in 1928 than it had been in 1851. It had fully met five of the hallmarks of democracy. The franchise
had been extended and there was now universal suffrage for all adults over 21. All adults had the right to participate by standing for election as an
MP, and there was a fair choice of parties as the Labour Party now represented the interests of working-class. Access to information on politics had
improved since the school leaving age had been raised to 14, improving literacy, and parties now published manifestoes which clearly
communicated their politics to the electorate. Futhermore, it had partially met the other two hallmarks of democracy. The voting system was fairer as
seats were being fairly disbuted and bribery and corruption had been virtually wiped out. Parliament was also more accountable since there were
regular general elections. However, there were still some anomalies in Britain's political system. It can be argued that the ' First part of the post '
voting system continued to disadvantaged smaller parties and the unelected House of Lords still had the power to delay legislations which had been
passed by elected MP's in House of Commons. Therefore, in the final analysis, whilst it is valid to hold the view that Britain was a fully democratic
country by 1928, its also fair to note that there still a numberof imperfections in Britain's Political System.