Reform, democracy and the franchise
What's covered
Key facts
The Chartist demand for secret voting was achieved by the Ballot Act of 1872.
The 1832 Reform Act expanded voting to middle-class men and abolished rotten boroughs.
Chartism (1838–58) was a working-class movement demanding voting rights and political reform.
The 1832 Act increased the electorate but most adults still could not vote.
The name "Chartism" is given to the 1838–58 working-class movement demanding the vote.
The 1832 Great Reform Act removed many rotten boroughs and gave seats to industrial towns.
Most Chartist demands (manhood suffrage, secret ballot, no property qualification, payment of MPs, equal constituencies) were eventually achieved after the movement itself faded.
The 1867 Reform Act extended the vote to many working-class men in towns.
Universal manhood suffrage and the secret ballot — two key Chartist demands — became reality by 1918.
The Ballot Act of 1872 introduced the secret ballot to British elections.
Sample questions
A taste of the 29 questions in this topic — answers marked. Sign up to practise the full set with spaced repetition.
How many demands were in the People's Charter of 1838?
- ✓Six points
- •Ten points
- •Three points
- •Twenty points
What did the 1832 Great Reform Act do?
- •Abolished Parliament for a decade entirely
- •Allowed women to vote for the first time
- •Gave the vote to all men over 21 immediately
- ✓Removed rotten boroughs and gave seats to industrial towns
Which Chartist demand became reality by 1918?
- •Annual parliaments and salaried MPs
- •Equal-population constituencies and qualified MPs
- •The complete abolition of the House of Lords
- ✓Universal manhood suffrage and the secret ballot
Which 1867 act extended the male franchise to many urban working men?
- •First Reform Act
- •Municipal Franchise Act
- ✓Second Reform Act
- •Third Reform Act
Which of the Chartists' demands eventually became law?
- •An elected House of Lords replacing the hereditary peerage
- •Annual general elections rather than every five years
- •The complete abolition of the monarchy in Britain
- ✓Universal male suffrage and secret ballots
Which 1872 act introduced the secret ballot to British elections?
- •Corrupt Practices Act
- •Electoral Reform Act
- •Second Reform Act
- ✓Secret Ballot Act
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