Peaceful and violent origins of voting rights : a political economy analysis of the Great Reform Act of 1832 /
"The Great Reform Act of 1832 is a pivotal moment in British political development. It opened the door of democratic reform, entailing a slow and gradual journey to universal suffrage, secret ballot, and competitive elections. But it could have failed. On 22 March 1831, the bill passed a critic...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
New York, NY :
Oxford University Press,
[2025]
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Connect to the full text of this electronic book |
| Summary: | "The Great Reform Act of 1832 is a pivotal moment in British political development. It opened the door of democratic reform, entailing a slow and gradual journey to universal suffrage, secret ballot, and competitive elections. But it could have failed. On 22 March 1831, the bill passed a critical vote in the House of Commons with just one vote, it faced stiff opposition in the House of Lords, and it had to be subjected to what was effectively a referendum in the 1831 General Election. This book provides a detailed analysis of how the Reform Bill overcame these roadblocks by drawing on rich micro-political data. It offers new insights into the forces underlying democratisation processes and allows for systematic evaluation of three leading theories of democratisation. Are democratisations caused by fears of revolution, by social movement pressure, or is the main driving force simply political expedience and self-interest? The book concludes that all these causes contributed, but not with the same intensity at all the roadblocks. While extra-parliamentary agitation from reform societies helped the bill obtain its one-vote majority in the House of Commons, fears of revolution were critical in generating popular support for the Reform Bill in the 1831 General Election. The House of Lords was, in contrast, hardened in its opposition by social unrest. Thus, by viewing democratic reform as a process rather than as a single event, this book provides more nuanced answers to what caused the West to extend the franchise"-- |
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| Physical Description: | 1 online resource (unpaged) : illustrations, maps. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780197679746 0197679749 0197679722 9780197679722 |