An assessment of how democratic Britain became, 1867-1928

The Reform Act of 1867

The Reform Act of 1867 marked a significant step towards a more democratic Britain, doubling the electorate from approximately one million to two million.
The urban working class obtained more voting rights through this act, as it abolished some ‘pocket’ and ‘rotten’ boroughs and redistributed seats to rapidly industrialising cities.
However, full democratisation was still far since only male householders and lodgers paying rent of £10 a year or more could vote. Thus, the working class remained mostly excluded.

The Ballot Act of 1872 introduced secret voting, making manipulation and bribery of voters much more difficult. This greatly increased the fairness and thus the democratic nature of elections.

The Corrupt and Illegal Practices Act 1883 was designed to counter electoral corruption by setting spending limits for election expenses, making elections more democratic.

The Reform Act of 1884-1885 extended voting rights to all male householders and male lodgers paying more than £10 for rooms. This extended the vote to the rural working class.
However, this still excluded a large number of the population, including women and poorer men.

The Representation of the People Act 1918 represented a major step towards full democracy, as it enfranchised all men over 21 and all women over 30 who met a property qualification. This expanded the electorate from around 7.7 million to 21.4 million.
It was also after this Act that the first female MP was elected, though women remained underrepresented.

The Representation of the People (Equal Franchise) Act 1928 finally brought Britain close to a fully democratic society, as it gave the vote to all women over the age of 21, putting them on an equal footing with men.

While significant progress was made between 1867 and 1928, the process was gradual and incomplete. It was only in 1928 that Britain became more recognisably democratic, with universal suffrage for all adults, regardless of sex, class, or property ownership.
Nevertheless, factors such as the lack of proportionate representation, the power of the unelected House of Lords, and the influence of wealth on politics indicate that full democracy had yet to be achieved.