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- Who should vote? Reform and protest, 1819 to 1884
Who should vote? Reform and protest, 1819 to 1884
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In 1800 only a small number of men could vote. During the 1800s protests and reforms slowly gave the vote to more men.
Peterloo, 1819
At least 15 people were killed and hundreds injured. It was nicknamed Peterloo, mocking the Battle of Waterloo.
The Great Reform Act, 1832
The Great Reform Act (1832) gave seats to the new towns and gave the vote to more middle-class men. Most working men still could not vote.
Chartists and later Acts
Later Acts gave the vote to many more men: 1867 (many working men in towns), the Ballot Act (1872, secret voting) and 1884 (many working men in the countryside). Women still could not vote in general elections.
Did the Chartists fail?
- In the short term, yes: Parliament rejected all three of their petitions.
- In the long term, most of their six points became law, such as the secret ballot in 1872.
- So they failed at the time, but their ideas later succeeded.
Answer: They failed in the 1840s, but most of their demands became law later.
Peterloo (1819): cavalry attacked a reform meeting. Great Reform Act (1832) ended many rotten boroughs. Chartists' People's Charter (1838), petitions rejected. Reform Acts of 1867 and 1884 and the Ballot Act (1872) extended the vote to most men.
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