This was very undemocratic as anybody should be able to become an mp if they so desire. By 1900 not many people had the right to vote, this was undemocratic because everybody should have the vote to make the voting system fairer. The reform act of 1867 made Britain more democratic because it gave the franchise to every male householder living in a borough constituency. This made Britain more democratic because more men had the vote. This doubled the number of men who could vote.
To what extent was Germany a parliame ntary democracy in the years 1900-1914? In the years 1900-1914, Germany was a parliamentary democracy due to the concessions and the laws that were being introduced that benefitted the growing working class. The definition of a parliamentary democracy is that there should be people who are elected to represent the country and the elected body should have more power. Though, there are clear signs that despite of all of the laws and the responsibilities given to certain groups, the Kaiser still had the ultimate power and control over Germany and the Chancellor still had overriding power of the Reichstag. Arguments to agree with the statement is that Germany did have a voting system and this was done on universal suffrage for all males over the age of 25, which was exactly the same in countries such as Britain and France and arguably better than America who discriminated against racial minorities.
This meant that the fact railways were built news and especially political news got around to people faster which meant people were up to date on the news of politics. Also the other Social factor includes education therefore they are more politically aware and also more people could read and write. These played an important part in the growth of democracy in Britain by 1900. A final Social factor that increased the growth of democracy in Britain by 1900 was the Trade Unions who tried to and get better working conditions by claiming the vote and trying to get freedom of speech to make everyone equal. This then meant better employment and better work.
What factors influenced the extension of the franchise up to 1918? The franchise of democracy was extended to more and more people in Britain from 1867, 1884 and 1918. This happened for many reasons. At the time there was growing public pressure to push new political ideologies of democracy and liberalism and the newfound attitude of the working and middle-class that were the earners of the country, therefore they should get the vote. These factors tie in with the political power plays between the Whigs and Tories, who were playing for an advantage over one another, and the looming threat of socialism.
1906 election victory disguised one simple fact that the Liberals could not have fought against. After the 1867 Reform Act, far more working class men could vote. This number was further increased after the introduction of the 1884 Reform Act. For years, the only party that seemingly represented the best interests of the working class man was the Liberal Party. The creation of the Independent Labour Party ended this and gave the working class their own political voice.
There were many of the comparatively prosperous who also came; to better themselves economically. They had heard of how easy it was to proliferate one's riches in America, and with an archetypal German interest in making the most of circumstances, some of the families embarked to seek a greater fortune in the new world. A second notable reason for the coming of the Germans was the religious persecution of the Lutherans and Protestants. While the Midwest received many liberal-minded Germans, it also acquired many of Germany's most ebullient conservatives. In 1817 King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia decreed a unification of the Lutheran and Reformed churches in Prussia, and his action was accompanied by the rulers of several of the smaller German states.
Discuss how democratic Britain became during the period 1830-1918 Britain underwent significant social and political changes from 1850-1918 and these changes resulted in the government and country becoming more democratic. The years before the first world war saw a huge change in Britain. The country became much more modernized and urbanized and this change in Britain put a strain on old aristocratic constitution. It was a time when citizens were becoming increasingly aware of the lack of democracy within the country. This essay plans to analyse and explain the extension of the franchise from 1830 and to asses whether Britain was fully democratic by 1918.
Part of the system is the introduction of proportional representation that meant parties in the Riechtag would gain seats depending upon the number of votes they got in the most recent election. The consequence of this was that it brought a number of parties together with the help of another key feature of the constitution, the “Bill of Rights”. This meant that parties could express their views, as the “Bill of Rights” was a law that gave people the freedom of speech. This union made representation of many opposing parties very open, which effectively made the Weimar constitution more democratic. However P.R made it difficult for a lot of parties to gain a majority of seats in the Reichstag, which made it harder for one major party to take control of the country.
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.
Equal sizes of constitutions had to be imposed, with regular elections and elected members of government. In a democracy, the voters must have civil rights, such as freedom of speech and the right to stand in elections. Many reforms were introduced in the hope that Britain would be more democratic, some more advanced than others. In 1867, a reform act was introduced to allow skilled workers in towns to vote. This contributed to Britain becoming more democratic as the electorate doubled in size to about 2.5 M males.