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...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors:	Aidt, Toke (Author), Franck, Raphaël, 1976- (Author)
Format:	eBook
Language:	English
Published:	New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2025]
Subjects:	Great Britain. > Representation of the People Act (1832) Suffrage > Great Britain > History > 19th century. Democratization > Great Britain > History > 19th century. Suffrage > Grande-Bretagne > Histoire > 19e siècle. Démocratisation > Grande-Bretagne > Histoire > 19e siècle. Economic History. BUSINESS & ECONOMICS. Public Finance. Industries. Political Economy. POLITICAL SCIENCE. Politics & government. Politics and Government. Electronic books.
Online Access:	Connect to the full text of this electronic book

Table of Contents:

Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication Page
Preface
Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
Part I Main ideas
1 Introduction and overview
1.1 The idea
1.2 Setting the stage: dramatis personae, scene, and plot
1.2.1 Dramatis personae
1.2.2 Scene
1.2.3 Plot
1.3 Overview of the book
2 Democratisation and franchise extension: the literature
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Bottom-up theories of democratisation
2.2.1 The threat of revolution hypothesis
2.2.2 The social movement hypothesis
2.3 Top-down theories of democratisation and the political expedience hypothesis
2.3.1 Pareto-improving extension of the franchise
2.3.2 The franchise and post-reform electoral politics
2.3.3 Representation and taxation
2.3.4 Constitutional bargaining and piecemeal suffrage reform
2.4 Three hypotheses about the causes of suffrage reform
2.5 Evidence on the three hypotheses
2.5.1 The consequences of suffrage reform
2.5.2 The causes of suffrage reform
2.6 The micro-political process-focused approach
Part II Historical background
3 Reform politics before 1830
3.1 Introduction
3.2 From the English Civil War to the restoration of the monarchy in 1660
3.3 From the restoration to the accession of George III in 1760
3.4 From George III to the French Revolution
3.5 The French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars
3.6 Reform attempts after the Napoleonic Wars
3.7 The end of the Unreformed Parliament
4 From the Unreformed Parliament to the Great Reform Act
4.1 Introduction
4.2 The Unreformed Parliament
4.2.1 The legislative process
4.2.2 Peers and bishops in the House of Lords
4.2.3 The voting franchise and the social composition of the MPs
4.2.4 Patrons and nomination seats
4.2.5 Political parties
4.3 The legislative journey of the Great Reform Act
4.4 The consequences of the Reform Bill
4.4.1 The Reform Bill's main features
4.4.2 Short-term consequences
4.4.3 Medium- and long-term consequences
Part III A micro-political analysis of the Great Reform Act
5 The cliffhanger: the vote in the Commons on 22 March 1831
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Voting on The Great Reform Act: the data
5.2.1 Reform support in the House of Commons
5.2.2 Violent unrest and social movement agitation
5.2.3 Political expedience
5.2.4 Political and economic control variables
5.3 Empirical strategy
5.4 Results
5.4.1 Public protest versus political expedience
5.4.2 Violent unrest and peaceful agitation
5.4.3 Two counterfactual scenarios
5.4.4 Interpretation
5.4.5 Omitted factors and indirect channels
5.5 Conclusion
6 A referendum on reform: the 1831 General Election
6.1 Introduction
6.2 The 1831 General Election and the Swing riots
6.2.1 A barometer of reform support
6.2.2 The Swing riots