⚖ British Democracy
Democracy is a form of governance where all adult citizens have a say in decision-making, either directly through voting or by electing representatives to make choices on their behalf.
At the start of the 19th century, Britain didn't resemble today's democracy. Although there were elections to pick members of Parliament, only a privileged few could vote—men aged over 21 who owned a certain level of property. However, this changed gradually throughout the 1800s, with more people gaining the right to vote. Political parties also began to engage regular men and women as members.
During the 1830s and 1840s, a movement known as the Chartists advocated for reform. They wanted six changes
For every man to have the vote
Elections every year
For all religions 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
Initially perceived as unsuccessful, the Chartist campaign eventually saw significant progress. By 1918, many of their proposed reforms had been implemented. Voting rights were extended to women over 30, and later in 1928 to both men and women over 21. In 1969, the voting age was further lowered to 18 for both genders.