The Development of British Democracy

Democracy is a system of government where the whole adult population gets a say. This might be by direct voting or by choosing representatives to make decisions on their behalf.

Magna Carta

In 1215, King John was forced by his noblemen to agree to a number of demands. The result was a charter of rights called Magna Carta (which means the Great Charter). Magna Carta established the principle that even the king was subject to the law. It protected the rights of the nobility and restricted the king's power to collect taxes or to make and change laws. In future, the king would need to involve his noblemen in decisions on how the country was governed. This was the beginning of the idea of parliamentary government and has had a lasting influence on the development of democracy.

The Origins of Parliament

The word Parliament comes from the Norman French word *parlement*, which means a place where people talk. During the Middle Ages, the king would call together his noblemen, Church leaders and other advisors to discuss matters of policy. This was the beginning of the House of Lords. Later, the king also invited representatives from the towns and countryside -- these representatives became the House of Commons. By the 15th century, the two Houses had separate functions and met in separate places.

The Bill of Rights

After the Glorious Revolution of 1688, which saw the Protestant rulers William and Mary invited to replace the Catholic King James II, Parliament passed the Bill of Rights in 1689. This confirmed the rights of Parliament and the limits of the king's power, establishing that:

• The king could not raise taxes or administer justice without Parliament's agreement
• Parliament must be held frequently
• Elections to Parliament must be free
• Freedom of speech was guaranteed in Parliament
• The monarch must be a Protestant

The Bill of Rights was one of the most significant constitutional documents in British history and contributed to the development of a constitutional monarchy -- a system where the monarch rules according to laws agreed by Parliament.

The Reform Acts and the Growth of the Franchise

At the turn of the 19th century, Britain was not a democracy as we know it today. Although there were elections to select members of Parliament (MPs), only a small group of people could vote. They were men who were over 21 years of age and who owned a certain amount of property.

The franchise (the right to vote) grew over the course of the 19th century:

• The Great Reform Act of 1832 greatly increased the number of people who could vote and abolished the old 'rotten boroughs' -- constituencies with very few voters that were controlled by rich landowners
• The 1867 Reform Act extended the vote to many more men in towns and cities
• The 1884 Reform Act further extended voting rights to agricultural workers and most working men

The Chartists

In the 1830s and 1840s, a group called the Chartists campaigned for parliamentary reform. They wanted six changes:

• For every man to have the vote
• Elections every year
• For all regions to be equal in the electoral system
• Secret ballots
• For any man to be able to stand as an MP
• For MPs to be paid

At the time, the campaign was generally seen as a failure. However, by 1918 most of these reforms had been adopted, except for annual elections.

Women's Suffrage

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, an increasing number of women campaigned for the right to vote. They were called suffragettes. The most well-known group was the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), founded by Emmeline Pankhurst in 1903. The suffragettes used civil disobedience, hunger strikes and sometimes violent protest to draw attention to their cause.

Universal Suffrage -- Key Dates

• 1918: Women over 30 gained the right to vote (along with all men over 21) through the Representation of the People Act
• 1928: Women gained equal voting rights with men -- all men and women over 21 could vote
• 1969: The voting age was reduced to 18 for both men and women
• 1999: Hereditary peers lost the automatic right to attend the House of Lords (only 92 remained)

The Development of Political Parties

The modern political party system developed during the 18th and 19th centuries. The two original parties were the Whigs and the Tories. The Whigs later became the Liberal Party and the Tories became the Conservative Party. The Labour Party was founded in 1900 as a party to represent the interests of the working class. In the 20th century, the Labour Party replaced the Liberals as one of the two dominant parties. The Liberal Democrats were formed in 1988 from a merger of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Check that you understand

• The importance of Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights
• How Parliament developed from medieval times
• What the Chartists campaigned for
• Key dates in the extension of the voting franchise
• How political parties developed in Britain

*This is a study guide for the Life in the UK test. Content is based on the official handbook topics.*