THE REFORM BILLS

 Introduction:

The most outstanding change that took place in the nineteenth century was the gradual emergence of England as a democracy. This change was brought about by a series of Reform Bills. With the passing of each bill, a larger section of the population was given the right to vote. By the time the last bill was passed in 1928, every adult male and female could vote.

First Reform Bill:

There had been no major change in the representative system of England and Wales since Tudor times. Each borough and county could send two representatives to the Parliament. After the Agrarian and Industrial Revolutions, most of the people living in boroughs migrated to the cities. Some boroughs even disappeared completely.  Yet they enjoyed the benefits of sending two representatives to the Parliament. Ironically, big industrial towns did not have any representation. The workers resented this as they had no scope for expressing their grievances to the government. Another factor which led to the passing of the Reform Bill of 1832 was the unjust qualification for a person to have the right to vote. According to the old custom, any freeholder with an income of forty shillings could vote while wealthy tenant farmers could not.

This caused a lot of discontent in the minds of the people. The Whig government appointed a committee to study parliamentary reform. Lord Durham, the chairman of this committee, made a thorough study of the existing state of affairs and submitted his report. Earl Grey, the Prime Minister, accepted the changes recommended by the Durham Committee and introduced the Reform Bill in Parliament in 1831. The House of Lords opposed the bill, and as a result, Grey requested King William IV to dissolve the Parliament. In the general election which followed the dismissal of the government, the Whigs were reelected. This clearly indicated that the people wanted reform very badly. The Reform Bill was once again rejected in the House of Lords. Earl Grey resigned and Wellington was asked to form the ministry. Wellington could not do so and Grey was asked to return. When the bill was proposed for the third time in 1832, it was finally passed. The total number of seats in the House of Commons remained unaltered. Fifty-six ‘rotten boroughs’ were disfranchised and thirty others could send only one member.

As a result, a hundred and forty-three seats were released. Of these sixty-five were given to large towns and cities that had been unrepresented so far. Sixty-five others were given to newly-created constituencies that were thickly populated. The remaining thirteen were given to Ireland and Scotland. As far as the question of franchise was concerned, the forty-shilling freeholders retained the right to vote, but the franchise was extended to copyholders and leaseholders whose lands were worth $100 a year. Short lease holders and tenants whose lands were worth $50 a year were also given the right to vote.

Effects of First Reform Bill and the Introduction of Second Reform Bill:

These changes, although they might appear impressive at first glance were not all that revolutionary. The people expected a great deal from the Reform Bill, but in reality, only one section of society benefited – the middle class. It nevertheless broke the monopoly of power possessed by the gentry and the nobility. By giving the vote to the middle class, the centre of gravity in politics was shifted. A major result of the Reform Bill in 1832 was that it had set the ball rolling. Once one section of society got the franchise, the other sections were bound to make demands too. The working classes, who did not benefit through the Reform Bill, remained disgruntled. This led to several agitations and movements. Of these, the most important were socialism, trade unionism and Chartism. Chartism was an uprising demanding reform. It was a movement started by William Lovett in 1836. It was fervent and tempestuous protest by the poor against the sordid conditions under which they lived. Demand for the franchise was made for the working class. Lovett, with the help of Francis Place, drew up a programme outlining the reform of Parliament. This programme, which had six points was known as the People’s Charter. It was from this that the movement got the name of Chartism. The Chartists’ demands were rejected by the Parliament in 1839 and in 1842. A general strike was declared and hundreds of Chartists were imprisoned. Although the movement appeared a failure, ultimately, most of their demands were conceded. The Second Reform Bill was introduced by Gladstone in 1866 and was rejected in the House of Commons itself. Later, there was a wave of resentment among the working classes and the lower middle classes. They demanded reform and held demonstrations at Hyde Park. Lord Derby, who was the Prime Minister then, passed the Second Reform Bill in 1867 with the support of Disraeli. This gave the vote to artisans and small householders. By the Reform Bill of 1867, all workmen who lived in towns got the franchise. After 1867, one out of twelve people had the right to vote. However, agricultural labourers and miners were excluded.

The Third Reform Bill:

The Third Reform Bill was passed by Gladstone when he was Prime Minister. It was rejected by the House of Lords and was finally passed only after a series of conferences between Gladstone and Salisbury. Through this bill, all householders in the counties were given the right to vote. By this move, about two million new voters were created in England. It also increased the electorate in Ireland and thus gave it a greater representation in Parliament. The most important effect of the third act was that it did away with the old practice of representation by counties and boroughs. The country was divided into single-member constituencies of equal population. Every man who lived in a permanent house, either as a landlord or as a tenant, had the right to vote. This act made England a democracy and dealt a severe blow to the power of the aristocracy. The power now passed over completely to the people. The Representation of the People Act of 1918 gave the vote to all men above the age of twenty-one and to all women over thirty. For the first time, women were given franchise. This age difference was abolished in 1928 and since then both men and women were considered equals as far as the electorate was concerned.

Conclusion:

A study of these Reform Bills unfolds before us the gradual emergence of England from the clutches of the King and the nobles. Step by step, the various sections of society were given the franchise until every adult male and female had a role to play in choosing the government. Today, England, is one of the leading democratic countries of the world and serves as an example to the rest.