Between 1872 and 1928, the government became far more representative. In 1867 only rich, men over age 25 could vote. At the end of 1928, all men and women over 21 had the right to vote, due to the acts passed that meant universal suffrage was in place. Throughout the years, many people in the UK were able to access information easier and these in turn lead to Britain becoming a democracy. Another reason that meant Britain in turn developed into a democracy was how easy it was to become an MP.
In the years 1829-37 president Andrew Jackson arguably increased democracy in America and therefore to an extend democratised American politics as Andrew Jackson was elected with a greater franchise than ever before which increases legitimacy, which is the basis of a democracy, together with the fact that he introduced a spoil system which also legitimised his presidency. Moreover, Andrew Jackson’s use of his federal power in fact also increased his legitimacy as he became more representative which therefore suggests that Andrew Jackson did in fact democratise the country however, on the other hand it is arguable that Andrew Jackson didn’t democratise in favour of all Americans and in fact reduced democracy for minorities such as the Indians and women. Andrew Jackson, in 1824 received a greater number of votes than any other president before his time which increased his legitimacy greatly and therefore Andrew Jackson started his term on strong democratic platform. During and after the election, Jackson pledged that he would open up the political system through a series of Constitutional amendments to increase the direct political power of the electorate. He proposed the elimination of the Electoral College and the direct popular election of the president.
Many would argue that the 1832 Reform Act did transfer some degree of power and freedom to the middle classes of England. Firstly, it is evident that the principal result of the reform act was that the middle classes who earned over $10 were able to vote due to the uniform qualification. Clearly, by giving the majority of the middle classes the vote this gave them a substantial degree of power similar to the rich landed gentry, as well as some level of independence. Additionally, other positive evidence outlining the transference of power is that the reform act resulted in numerous seats of parliament being redistributed to sizeable industrial cities such as Manchester or Leeds that were previously unrepresented. The fact that these large vital conurbations were now embodied in parliament gave the middle classes present to be able to make choices without the aristocracy dictating the results.
Plan; To what extent was Germany a parliamentary democracy in the years 1900-14? Agree It practiced universal male suffrage for those over 25 years old who voted for the Reichstag. Done through use of secret ballot so people could cast their votes without fear of being persecuted for their choice. The people voted for the Reichstag, and the Reichstag had the power to pass an annual budget, and it had control over the defence budget. Although the Kaiser could dissolve the Reichstag, it couldn’t be dismissed indefinitely and had the right to hold elections straight after dissolution.
Voting rights were also improved during this time period. Before the war, only about 2% of the black population could vote and this increased to 15% by 1945. In the North, the African American political power increased tremendously. By 1945, 16 Northern states had black populations between 5 and 13% of the total population. This meant the held the balance of power because if the black community voted together, they could decide the outcome of elections.
Due to industrialisation, factories were built which lead to rapid growth of population in the towns and cities for example from 98 million in 1885 to 125 million in 1905. However though this meant that the economy was improving, the growth in population led to poor living and working conditions which increased social unrest. As trade unions had been made illegal there was no way to protest which lead to support for more radical
They thought that as the wealth creators of Britain that they also deserved a say in British politics. They decided that they would unite if they were to have any power to accomplish this. The First Reform Act of 1832 gave greater influence to the middle class and the Second Reform Act of 1867 gave the vote to the skilled working class in the towns. By 1884 these same rights were extended to rural workers.
The treatment of women was a big social change for example the number of working women increased by 25 per cent and women were given the right to vote. The T-ford motor car was a big part of the boom as they were the first company to think of techniques like assembly lines and mass production this made it easier for Ford to make more cars and as he produced more and more cars, he could reduce his prices. By 1925 the price of a car was around $290, which cheaper than the price of $850 in 1908. which then benefited the sale of consumer goods when other companies decided to also use these ideas when making their own products. There was also an increased demand for fuel and other resource needed to make the cars like rubber and glass. But though these helped the motor car without the republican policies the motor car might not of done as well.
The British Colonies Although not quite as democratic as our lives, the British Colonies in the 18th century were a haven for liberty, democracy, and new ways of thinking, because they were considerably more advanced in comparison to the world around them. Equality is an essential part of a democracy, and even more democratic systems were appearing in the Colonies. To ensure equality everyone needs to have an equal say in the government. The only citizens allowed to vote were wealthy, adult, white males, but it’s estimated 50%-80% enjoyed the freedom, a considerable advantage to the 5% in Britain. Occupied with other matters, the British Empire wasn’t able to completely control the colonies and as a result they developed independent governments.
In 1750 the total population was about 7 million. Over 65% of babies died during birth, but by 1900 the population had quadrupled to 37 million and only 15% of babies died during child birth. There are many reasons why this happened such as the vast improvement in health care, people marrying at a younger age so they have more time to have children, and farmers producing heathier and a larger variety of food. Many people called it an explosion in population rather than an increase in population this is because of how quickly the population increased, in the short amount of time. One of the reasons why the population exploded was because of the huge improvement in health care.