How far could Britain Be described as a democratic country by 1911? Lisa Wilson

A democracy should allow people to vote freely in order to influence the decisions of their government and enables citizens to voice their opinions by electing a party that represents their views. In the 1850’s the franchise was restricted to upper class male landowners who had the choice between two parties, the Conservatives and the Liberals. Industrial cities were poorly represented and corruption commonplace. However, the Industrial revolution changed the social and economic structure in Britain, where the emerging middle classes were demanding political reform. Throughout the late 19th century a number of acts were passed that ensured Britain were well on their way to becoming fully democratic.

The extension of the franchise in Britain was a significant factor in securing democratic status. The Second Reform Act of 1867, known as the “Great leap in the dark” doubled the British electorate and gave one in three men living in towns the vote if they were property owners or paid an annual rent of over £10. This was a step towards democracy however, although a greater number of men were now liable to vote the electorate system was still dominated by middle classes and voting remained open to bribery and corruption. The 1884 Reform Act proposed further parliamentary reform, allowing working class men living in the countryside the same voting rights as those in towns; thus ensuring the electorate was further doubled to almost 5million. Universal suffrage was quickly evolving and political parties faced increasing pressure. The rapid extension of the franchise stimulated differentiating political ideology and this aided democracy as voters were given more choice, however not all adults held the right the right to vote. Historian TC Smout argued that “some 40%of the adult males in