The reform act of 1867 known as the Second Reform Act came in the middle of a social and political conflict. It was a response toviolence at those times.
The mid-1860's was a period of huge political changes. The Second Reform Act constituted an important step towards democracy. This last one means increasing voting by enfranchising the working clas: permitting to the middle educated class to vote and express their opinions. Liberalism is the party that demands the individual freedom, the limitations of the powers of government and the state and strict economy for republic finances. They asked for the right to vote for skilled, educated, responsible and respectable workers: those who have reason to think who's the best and to wich candidate they must vote according to his political opinions and alliances. While conservatives, traditionals, suggested the right to vote for all people in the state or no one from the middle social class.
As a consequence, Conservatives' aim is to defeat the Liberals worked on the freedom of the individual, the reason of the "citizen". His opinion wouldn't be subject to the Conservatives party because he'll vote according to who's the worthy:he is enaugh educated, skilled and responsible to vote well.
After a while, Liberales uere divided into the real Liberals and the Discontent Liberals. And that was a strong reason to Conservatives who dominated parliement in Britain. Disraeli, a Conservative thinker, reformed the turbulent political atmosphere and the Second Reform Act, the Reform Act of 1867, emerged. He developed the British society in its different domains: health, education, economy.
On the other hand, tehre were anxieties surrounding the Second Reform Act. Many groups of the British society were against it. Giving the right to vote to the working class is dangerous. They are not economically independant, they can be bribed;not all of them are educated enaugh or know the best interest of the state as a whole.
All in all, historians interpreted that the Second Reform Act was a peaceful development of the modern British society and it came in response to vioence occured at those times:it was " a leap in the dark " .
written by flower_84
20-03-2006, 06:29 PM
The reform act __A123b
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