The Reform Act-1832
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Discuss the significance of the reform act 1832 in the
history of English Politics.
Or
“Although the reform act 1832
did not establish the democracy in England it prepared the way for it and took
a long step in that direction “Discuss the statement.
Or
Discuss briefly the main
change introduced by the reform bill of 1832. Discuss its merits and demerits.
Answer:-
The Representation of the peoples’ act 1832
(commonly known as the reform act, 1832) introduced some revolutionary changes
in the representative system and franchise system of England. In the constitutional
history of England, it proved to be an event of significant act because it
shook up the roots of ancient conventions. Reform was not a new idea when the
first bill was presented to the British Parliament in 1831. The electoral
system had remained virtually unchanged since 1680, by contrast to a country
whose economy, class system and political methods had changed at time to time.
The British Parliamentary system was in essence what it had been when Edward I
established it 1275. The system of election and the distribution of members had
not been altered for hundreds of years. The principal reason for the great
change in the orientation of the country was the Industrial Revolution, which
had created a new economy and caused the emergency of new cities.
As a result of
industrial revolution many cities such as Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds and
Birmingham, which has became popular as industrial centers, had no
representatives of their own to the British Parliament. On the other hand there
were many towns such as old Serum, once important to send members to the
parliament. These towns were known as Rotten Boroughs.
At that time in Britain
the right to vote was only open to land owners. It means that almost 95% of the
total population had no right in political matters of their countries. The Vote
was done by country hands in an open, vote a process that made it, essay for a
landlord to see which of his tenants had betrayed him and treat them according.
So, through the reform bill it was demanded for a fear distribution of
representations and also a change in the voting process.
The reform act 1832 has
been called the “Modern Magna Karta” by famous historian Trevelyan. He points
out that it brought about a constitutional revolution in England. It shifted
the political power from the Aristocracy to the middle classes and thereby proved
the way for democracy. The evils of rotten boroughs were done away with the
adequate representation to the town which had immerged as a result of
revolution. In this way the British people accomplish a kind of revolution that
laid the foundation of modern British. It was a more genuine revolution than
that which occurred in France in 1830. If did not dethrone a dynasty but it
destroyed the semi feudal monopoly of the British Government. The Reform Act of
1832 had same significant effects on the politics of England. These are as
follows.
Merits:-
1.
As a result of this Reform Act the
political power slipped into the hand of the middle class in the town and the
rural areas. The landlords continued maintain their supremacy in the
countryside.
2.
This act enhances the total number of
voters. From now on one percent out of every twenty four of the total
population came to possess the right to vote. As a result the total number of
the voters at that time reached the figure of five lakhs.
3.
Landlords were compelled to co-operate
with the middle class people due to their decreased influence. Now it also
becomes essential for them to look after the interest of the voters.
4.
This Act adversely affected the powers
and rights of the king and the nobles. It also made clear that the power of the
king had no significance in compares to the powers of the House of Commons. In
any case of conflict the king was forced to support according to the wishes of
the prime minister.
5.
The principal of change was approved by
the politicians and due to this act the real democracy was established in
England.
6.
It increased the significance of the House
of Commons as it was organized on democratic principles. Hence it became a
representative body of the people.
7.
This Act changed the outlook of the Tories
and the reformists began to assemble in the Whig Party which came to be known
as Liberal Party.
DEMERITS
The British Political landscape
was modernized and enriched by the Reform Act, 1832. People were educated and
became ware about their political right and they were inspired to register
their votes annually. Still the Act suffered from some limitations. These are
as follows,
(i)
The reform act did very little for the
development of the working class people. The Act stated that to get the right
vote a voter was required to possess the property worth of $ 10,000, a heavy
amount for working class at that time.
(ii)
The entire adult was not given the
right of franchise. Laborers, farmers and women were deprived of the right of
vote.
(iii)
This act did not make any arrangement
for secret ballot system
(iv)
This act also failed to remove the
corruption and bribery. It remained a problem as Sir Thomas May observed, “It
was soon evident that as more votes had been created more votes were to be
sold.
In
spite of all its merits and demerits this act was a great achievement as the
Tories described it a revolutionary step. The Reform act of 1832 transferred
the political power from the landlord Aristocracy to the middle classes and
thus alters the center of gravity of political power in England. Although it
did not established democracy in the real sense in England but it prepared the
way for it and took a long step in the direction.