Extending the Franchise (AQA GCSE History)

 Summary

Since the Middle Ages, Parliament’s ability to influence and control the monarch had gradually increased. However, Parliament was still controlled by a few rich and powerful men. 

From the middle of the 17^th century onwards, the technological and social developments of the Industrial Revolution completely transformed Britain. It became the first country in the world to have more of its population living in towns and cities than living in the countryside. This newly formed but enormous urban working class began to demand a say in how the country was run. They demanded reform and the vote.

What is the Franchise?

• The franchise is the section of a society that has the right to vote in elections

•  At various stages in British history, there have been struggles and debates about extending the franchise to different groups

  •  In the 21^st century, there is a debate about extending the franchise to 16-year-olds and allowing them to vote

The British Electoral System before 1832

• In the early 19^th century, the franchise in Britain was very small

  • Britain was split up into different areas called counties and boroughs

  • The rules that determined who could vote were different in the boroughs and counties

• Boroughs varied greatly in size 

  • Westminster had 12,000 voters

  • Other boroughs had as few as seven

• Regardless of the number of voters, each borough was represented by two Members of Parliament

• The boroughs that had tiny populations but two MPs, such as Old Sarum in Wiltshire, became known as rotten boroughs

• New industrial towns, such as Birmingham, had populations of hundreds of thousands and had grown extremely rapidly

  • The makeup of Britain may have changed but the system of counties and boroughs remained the same

  • This meant that the vast populations of towns such as Birmingham had no MPs representing them in Parliament

• The boroughs where only council members could vote were easily controlled by rich local landowners

  • They were viewed as having the council ‘in their pocket’

  • These boroughs became known as pocket boroughs

•  Voters in both counties and boroughs had to publicly declare who they had voted for

  • This meant people could be bribed and intimidated

• All MPs were unpaid

  • This meant that only rich people could afford to stand for election

• Corruption was also widespread with rich people frequently bribing or buying their way into Parliament and power

Challenges to the Government – the Peterloo Massacre

• Working-class people recognised that the voting system was unfair and began to call for change

• On 16 August 1819, up to 100,000 people gathered in St Peter’s Fields in Manchester 

  • They were there to hear speakers talk about the need for electoral reform

  • The size of the crowd alarmed the local magistrates who called on the cavalry to disperse the people and arrest the speakers

  •  Instead, they attacked the peaceful crowd that contained many women and children

  • At least 11 people were killed and over 600 injured

  • The event quickly became known as the Peterloo Massacre 

    • This was a reference to the Battle of Waterloo which had occurred just four years earlier

• The leaders of the protest were charged with treason 

• The magistrates and members of the cavalry were cleared of any wrongdoing

• Following the Peterloo Massacre, the Government passed Six Acts which:

  • Banned public meetings of more than 50 people

  • Restricted what could be published

• The government had shown that they would not give in to demands for reform and were willing to pass laws to prevent people from campaigning for it