1) How democratic was Britain after the reform acts?

1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1911

After the reform acts In 1893 In 1900 workers on By 1911 the LIBERAL PARTY, who were in power, were Britain was more groups came together the TAFF VALE fearful of the growing support of the LABOUR PARTY. democratic, but nearly to form the railway in Wales half of all men and went on strike. The The Liberal party appealed to the workers by bringing nearly all women were INDEPENDENT LABOUR not permitted to vote. PARTY. courts ordered the in new laws to help the workers. unions to pay These included:- The NEW UNIONS The LABOUR party was compensation to NATIONAL INSURANCE ACT – which paid sickness representing dockers, convinced that political the company benefit to any worker who paid 2d into the scheme. women in sweatshops representation of the caused by the and farm labourers grew working class in strike. Legislation OLD AGE PENSIONS ACT – To provide a pension for with nearly 2 million parliament was the only made it challenging those who reached 70 years of age. members. way to get support for for the trades union issues. union. The House of Lords were angry at the reforms because In 1868 these unions they would be expected to pay for them in taxes. A were amalgamated into In the 1901 election Peoples Budget had been created to do this. the TRADES UNION

CONGRESS (TUC). they won 2 seats. By 1910 this had increased In 1911 the PARLIAMENT ACT forbade the House of to 49 seats. As more Lords from blocking any law that had passed through working class people the Commons. This represented a huge shift in power got the vote it was clear away from the landowning classes that had controlled that the LABOUR PARTY the country since the BILL OF RIGHTS 200 years was becoming a political before. force to be reckoned with. 2) Votes for Women

1897 1903 1906 1910-1913 1914 1918

In 1867 John Stuart Mill In 1903 Emmeline Between 1906 and The NUWSS hold 400 In 1913 a Suffragette In January 1918 the put forward a plan for Pankhurst formed another 1913 there were six meetings around the called EMILY DAVISON government introduced the women to get the vote women’s suffrage group. occasions when country. Millicent is killed by the King’s REPRESENTATION OF THE that was rejected. They were called the WSPU votes for women Fawcett considers an horse in the Derby PEOPLE ACT to give women (Suffragettes). was considered in race. This is after Women were not The WSPU believed that the alliance with the Labour the vote over aged 30. This act parliament. It was bouts of arson and allowed to vote in NUWSS were too peaceful Party to get political also gave all men over 21 years Britain in 1900 and were getting nowhere. defeated for several support for women. attacking politicians. old the vote. because:- They wanted to try reasons:- They were considered MILITANT methods such as • Opposition MPs The Suffragettes When World War One The act was received with to be weaker than men. violent protest, prison and (Conservatives) purposefully get broke out the WSPU opposition from the House of They were thought to hunger striking and • Sometimes it arrested. In prison they and NUWSS supported Lords. be uneducated and disorder. was abandoned go on hunger strike and the government. The ignorant of politics. The WSPU effectively due to lack of attempt to embarrass WSPU were involved However, it was accepted as Women’s domestic role declared war on the Liberal time in the government. The in recruiting women the first step by Millicent would not allow for government. However, they parliament. government issues the into war work:- Fawcett towards universal politics. were a minority group of • Sometimes it CAT and MOUSE ACT to 800,000 women female suffrage. Women did not fight in 2,000 members compared was abandoned release and re-arrest the worked in heavy the army. to the NUWSS who had due to the industry. Even Queen Victoria 50,000 members. Suffragettes when they Ultimately, women’s war work was against women The WSPU were sensational election. are healthy again. They made up the had proved their level of voting. and difficult to handle, but majority of munitions responsibility and the their behaviour gave the In 1908 Emmeline Herbert Asquith, the workers. government could not refuse In 1897 the NUWSS government a reason not to Pankhurst and her Liberal Prime Minister, is Women fed the army when they were considering (Suffragists) were give women the vote. daughter, Christabel, so concerned it is through the land army. giving more men the vote. formed, led by Millicent barged into the rumoured that he is They served as nurses Fawcett. House of Commons. considering giving and drivers. women the vote. 3) Parliament and people 1918-1945

1918 1926 1928 1944 1945 Post-1945

Both wars required Post WW1 Britain was grim In 1928 all women In 1944 SIR WILLIAM Both parties were After the war the Liberal party support from the British in many ways. Economically over 21 years old BEVERIDGE published promising to build a went into decline and the public to be fought. In the country struggled as did were given the vote. the BEVERIDGE REPORT better Britain in the Conservative and Labour party WW1 the people much of Europe. There was which identified 5 great election. became the two leading supported because of high unemployment. Churchill patriotism and in WW2 The Conservative social problems:- parties. (Conservatives) was it was fear of the Nazi government constantly Interestingly, when the Germany. clashed with Trade Unions , disease, hoping for a victory Conservatives won the 1951 The work of the Liberal in May 1926 there was a ignorance, squalor and having won the war. election they chose not to government before the GENERAL STRIKE. idleness. However, the Labour reverse Labour’s policies. They war in helping the less Many workers felt bitter Party won a landslide had come to the conclusion fortunate meant that in and betrayed as if there role Beveridge set out a plan victory and introduced that parliamentary WW1 people were in winning World War One to tackle these Beveridge’s ideas intervention in peoples’ lives accepting of had been forgotten by the problems. He wanted to which included:- had become an essential government control. government. create a WELFARE STATE FAMILY ALLOWANCE aspect of government. As a reward for the war where the most in need (1945) the government issued would be supported. He NATIONAL INSURANCE the REPRESENTATION wanted to create a NHS (1946) OF THE PEOPLE ACT NHS (1948) which gave all men over (NATIONAL HEALTH 21 and all women over SERVICE). Massive house 30 the vote. The LABOUR PARTY building programme. In 1918 the Prime backed Beveridge and Nationalisation of the Minister said that the the Conservatives, shy coal and railway government’s role was of government industries. to make the country fit intervention, also Full employment for heroes to live in, but promised some support creating 1 million jobs. this proved challenging. for the poor.