How did Britain evolve from an Oligarchy to Democracy in 1830-1931?

Answer 1

1832 Great Reform Act. It was "great" because it broke the mould. For centuries people were elected fro places they'd always been elected for. Now they abolished the owrst of the rotten boroughs and gave soem of the new big cities some MPs. Above all it made futrue reforms much more possible.

1867 - first election after the 2nd reform Act. Male householder vote, anyone who owned even a little real property (rental value £2 a year). Created the need for popular political parties and mass campaigning through newapapers. Electoral constituencies established based on population, not history.

1910 -- House of Lords reduced from equal status to roughly its present status. Govts since then have always been able to get their measures passed if the Commons approved, whatever the Lords thought.

?1880s (not sure) Vote extended to all men.

1918 - women got the vote. Pretty much full democracy now.

1929-31 -- Speaker's Conference proposes proportional representation. But the idea was abandoned when 1931 election called.

Answer 2

in 1830, the parliament was elected in a vicious manner. in the sense that the laws of election had been the same for centuries. therefor big cities like manchester couldn't choose any representatives because they had developed after the laws had been made, while smaller cities with no importance could pick two representatives.

also, smaller cities were under the influence of their lords who pretty much got to decide who was going to get elected. there for the parliament of britain - which controlled what was going on there - was an oligarchy.

however, in the 1830s and the 1860s two electoral laws were passed that pretty much remedied that. in the sense that after the 1860s, the parliament was much more representative and it actually got to be a democracy.

i am not sure why you picked 1931 as an end date. maybe because by then colonies were transformed into dominions - having their own parliaments - and therefore all parts of britain had democracies (including the colonial empire). but for actual britain, democracy came in the 1860s.

Answer 3

By the gradual expansion of voting rights during this period, which were connected to how much property you owned (and your gender)

Pre 1832, only the rich were allowed to vote.
Beginning 1832, some middle class people were allowed to vote.
In 1867, more middle class people were allowed to vote.
In 1919 everyone was allowed to vote, including women.

The main impetus for this was the fear of revolution - and the strategy seemed to work, as britain has the longest history of continuous peaceful government of any country in the world.

interestingly the chinese government recently invited a british historian specializing in the 19th century to china to teach them about this - are they thinking of doing the same thing?