democracy

Question 1

before the great reform in 1832, what were the problems with franchisement in the UK?

Answer 1

rules were that wealthy individuals could vote multiple times, while others couldn’t vote at all.
different boroughs had different rules on who could could.
women, working class men were excluded.

Question 2

what were rotten boroughs in the UK?

Answer 2

few people were living in that borough and had the say in which MP would be elected. very few voters to elect an MP.

Question 3

what was the Great Reform act in 1832?

Answer 3

rotten boroughs were abolished, representation was given to urban areas
gave the vote to middle class people
the Act required for them to have property, excluding working class men and women.

Question 4

what was the second reform act in 1867?

Answer 4

enfranchisement of working class males.
1/3 of men could vote

Question 5

what was the Third Reform Act 1884?

Answer 5

all working men who met a property qualification could vote.
40% of adult men were still excluded - working men in rural areas

Question 6

what was the 1918 representation of the people act?

Answer 6

let women vote in general elections.
but women had to be married, owned property, over 30
All men over 21 given the vote
passed because of pressure to give the vote to working class men without property had served in the army.

Question 7

what was the 1928 representation of the people act?

Answer 7

finally extended suffrage to all women over 21

Question 8

what was the 1969 representation of the people act?

Answer 8

extended suffrage to people under 21, as attitudes towards adulthood changed.
18 and up could vote

Question 9

who were the suffragettes and the suffragists?

Answer 9

suffragettes - WSPU, used direct action and militant tactics, throwing rocks, setting fires
campaigners were arrested, Emmeline Pankhurst
suffragists - tried to achieve the vote using peaceful methods, trying to lobby parliament, use of pamphlets

Question 10

what was the cat and mouse act? why was it introduced?

Answer 10

suffragettes refused to eat, they went on hunger strikes when they were in prison. so an act was passed that allowed guards to force feed. otherwise they would have to released from prison which would allow them to cause more demonstrations.

Question 11

who was Emily Davison and what happened to her?

Answer 11

she was protesting for women suffrage at Epsom Derby, she was killed by the King’s horse

Question 12

what is direct democracy in the UK?

Answer 12

where people directly vote for what they want. make their own political decisions being directly involved in the process.
example is referendums

Question 13

what were the outcome of referendums? name a few

Answer 13

Brexit 2016 - 52% leave, 48% remain - turnout 72%
AV 2011 - 68% n, 32% y - turnout of 42%
Scottish independence 2014 - 45% yes, 55% no - turnout 84%
2004 North-East - 78% n, 22% y turnout of 48%

Question 14

what is another way of direct democracy?

Answer 14

e-petitions, 10,000 signatures a response back from government
100,000 signatures - debate in parliament
but a topic must be sponsored by the backbench business committee

Question 15

give an example of an e-petition

Answer 15

1.6 million signed a petition to stop US president Trump from making a state visit to the UK
parliament changed it from a state visit to a working visit

Question 16

what are the advantages of direct democracy in the UK?

Answer 16

transparency - ensures a strong level of openness between citizens and the government
what the people wanted - direct democracy ensures the will of the people is clear, also gives more of a mandate
participation - more likely to engage in the political process if they believe that their vote will make a difference - increase turnout
all votes count - each vote counts the same amount towards the decision unlike in representative democracy

Question 17

what are the disadvantages of direct democracy in the UK?

Answer 17

impractical - time consuming, expensive
manipulated - way the question in phrased and timing of them can manipulate results
voters are not experts, less educated - public makes the decision, less knowledgeable and therefore may vote for the wrong side of the referendum than they intended too

Question 18

names some features of democracy in the UK.

Answer 18

elections, representation, legitimacy, participation, accountability, rule of law, smooth transition of power, civil rights, education and information.

Question 19

what is representative democracy?

Answer 19

a system of democracy in which people vote for elected representatives, they then make decisions on the people’s behalf

Question 20

what are the advantages of a representative democracy?

Answer 20

elected have knowledge and skill to understand and make complex decisions.
MPs from a political party would have a good idea of how representatives will act once in power.

Question 21

what are the disadvantages of representative democracy?

Answer 21

ay not accurately represent the opinions and demands of the wider population
Party representation, in particular, can prevent elected representatives from acting independently
Representative democracy can turn into ‘rule by elites’ rather than disperse power
Representative democracy is only ‘fair’ if elections are also ‘fair’ FPTP has many flaws

Question 22

give examples of direct democracy?

Answer 22

1979 and 1997, Scotland and Wales, devolution
1998 - mayor of London
1998 - Good Friday Agreement
2011 - AV
2014 - Scotland independence
2016 - Brexit

Question 23

who were the Chartists?

Answer 23

movement associated with debate over social class and the vote

Question 24

what were the Six Points of the People’s Charter?

Answer 24

these were demanded to be adopted by Parliament for men, to transform Britain into full democracy.

Question 25

what were the main tactics of the Chartists?

Answer 25

compilation and submission, 3 petitions in 1839, 1842 and 1848.

Question 26

were the chartists a success or failure?

Answer 26

in the short term it was a failure, the legacy of the chartists was significant and influenced the creation of other political movements e.g., Reform League.

Question 27

what were the arguments to demand the vote for women?

Answer 27

Intellectual equals of men.
Paid equivalent taxes and obeyed the same laws as men.
Women could vote in local elections.
could bring additional experiences.

Question 28

what were the arguments against women being enfranchised?

Answer 28

Politics and military were naturally better suited for men.
Women were too emotional.
Politics a distraction from women’s role of wife and mother.
Women would outnumber men among the electorate and would take over politics

Question 29

what was the debate over ethnicity and the vote?

Answer 29

ethnic groups have been underrepresented in politics.
2019 - 10% of MPs were of colour
but in 2019, 25% of black voter and 24% of asian voters were not registered
PG - Operation Black Vote focus their efforts on minority ethnic groups register

Question 30

what are the traditional forms of participation?

Answer 30

voting, membership of a political party, standing as a candidate, joining a PG, letters to MPs, marches, strikes

Question 31

what are the modern day forms of participation?

Answer 31

e-petitions, social media and political posts, organising protests, BLM, boycotting certain goods and services.

Question 32

what are the aspects of a political participation crisis?

Answer 32

growth a widespread political apathy, voter turnout, membership of political parties and volatility among voters

Question 33

what are the arguments that there is a participation crisis in the UK?

Answer 33

Turnout low for in recent elections.
Membership of political parties has declined sharply
Partisan dealignment - people feel no affiliation to a political party
disillusionment with politicians has increased since the 2009 expenses scandal
political apathy
slacktivism

Question 34

what are the arguments that there is not a participation crisis in the UK?

Answer 34

SNP and Green Party have seen a growth in membership.
shift from traditional methods of participation such as e-petitions
social movements focusing on direct action BLM and Extinction Rebellion
growth in membership in PGs
turnout in 2014 scottish referendum was 84% and 2016 Brexit was 72%

Question 35

what are the 3 main forms of direct democracy in the US?

Answer 35

ballot initiatives, recall elections and referendums
local level not a national level

Question 36

what are ballot initiatives and give examples, US?

Answer 36

laws or measures proposed by voters, if there are enough signatures it will be placed on the next ballot at election time
e.g., legislations of marijuana, same-sex marriage, restoring ex-felons voting rights

Question 37

what are recall elections and give examples, US?

Answer 37

voters can force an elected state official to face re-election before their full term has expired.
Scott Walker - Republican governor survived.
Gray Davis - governor for California was replaced.

Question 38

what are referendums and give examples, US?

Answer 38

occur where the state legislature passes a law but is then required to submit this directly to voters for approval.
2018, Alabama 78% voters supported an amendment to the state constitution allowing to display the 10 commandments