Reform Act 1867
E50290
The Reform Act 1867 was a landmark British law that significantly expanded the electoral franchise, particularly among urban working-class men, and further restructured parliamentary representation.
Observed surface forms (3)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Representation of the People Act 1867 | 3 |
| Second Reform Act | 1 |
| Second Reform Act (as party leader and prime minister) | 1 |
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom
ⓘ
electoral reform law ⓘ |
| aim |
adjust representation to reflect population changes
ⓘ
broaden the electorate in parliamentary boroughs ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs |
Reform Act 1867
ⓘ
surface form:
Representation of the People Act 1867
Reform Act 1867 ⓘ
surface form:
Second Reform Act
|
| appliesTo | House of Commons elections ⓘ |
| areaOfLaw |
constitutional law
ⓘ
electoral law ⓘ |
| associatedWithPolitician |
Benjamin Disraeli
ⓘ
Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby ⓘ William Ewart Gladstone ⓘ |
| country | United Kingdom ⓘ |
| didNotExtendFranchiseTo |
most rural labourers
ⓘ
women ⓘ |
| effectOnElectorate |
greatly increased representation of urban areas
ⓘ
roughly doubled the number of voters in England and Wales ⓘ |
| expandedFranchiseTo |
lodgers paying at least £10 in rent
ⓘ
male householders in boroughs ⓘ urban working-class men ⓘ |
| followedBy | Representation of the People Act 1884 ⓘ |
| governmentAtTimeOfPassage | Conservative government ⓘ |
| historicalSignificance |
major step in the democratization of the United Kingdom
ⓘ
marked first large-scale inclusion of urban working class in politics ⓘ |
| influenced |
later suffrage movements in Britain
ⓘ
subsequent electoral reforms in the United Kingdom ⓘ |
| introducedInParliamentBy | Benjamin Disraeli ⓘ |
| legalStatus | primary legislation ⓘ |
| legislativeBody |
British Parliament
ⓘ
surface form:
Parliament of the United Kingdom
|
| longTitle | An Act further to amend the Laws relating to the Representation of the People in England and Wales ⓘ |
| mainEffect |
increase in number of voters in boroughs
ⓘ
redistribution of parliamentary seats ⓘ restructuring of parliamentary representation ⓘ significant expansion of the electoral franchise ⓘ |
| monarchAtTimeOfPassage | Queen Victoria ⓘ |
| politicalContext |
competition between Liberal and Conservative parties over reform
ⓘ
debate over parliamentary reform in the 1860s ⓘ |
| precededBy | Reform Act 1832 ⓘ |
| relatedAct |
Representation of the People (Ireland) Act 1868
ⓘ
Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1868 ⓘ |
| removedOrReducedRepresentationOf | some small boroughs ⓘ |
| sponsoredBy | Benjamin Disraeli ⓘ |
| subject |
parliamentary franchise
ⓘ
redistribution of seats ⓘ |
| territorialExtent | England and Wales ⓘ |
| transferredSeatsTo | larger towns and counties ⓘ |
| typeOfFranchiseChange | extension of borough franchise ⓘ |
| year | 1867 ⓘ |
Referenced by (7)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Second Reform Act
this entity surface form:
Representation of the People Act 1867
this entity surface form:
Representation of the People Act 1867
this entity surface form:
Second Reform Act (as party leader and prime minister)
this entity surface form:
Representation of the People Act 1867