Representation of the People Act 1884
E50642
The Representation of the People Act 1884 was a major British electoral reform law that greatly expanded the male franchise, especially in rural areas, and helped standardize voting qualifications across the United Kingdom.
Aliases (1)
Statements (45)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom
→
electoral reform law → |
| aim |
to equalize the franchise between boroughs and counties
→
to extend representation to more working‑class men → |
| appliesToJurisdiction |
England
→
Ireland → Scotland → Wales → |
| category |
1884 in British law
→
United Kingdom electoral law → |
| consequence |
further democratization of the House of Commons
→
significant increase in number of MPs elected by rural and working‑class voters → |
| country |
United Kingdom
→
|
| didNotGrant |
votes to women
→
|
| electorateAfter |
majority of adult male householders in both boroughs and counties
→
|
| electorateBefore |
predominantly urban male householders and lodgers
→
|
| expandedFranchiseIn |
counties
→
rural areas → |
| expandedFranchiseTo |
a larger proportion of adult men
→
|
| field |
constitutional law
→
electoral law → |
| followedBy |
Representation of the People Act 1918
→
|
| follows |
Representation of the People Act 1867
→
|
| government |
Gladstone’s third Liberal government
→
|
| historicalPeriod |
Victorian era
→
|
| languageOfDocument |
English
→
|
| legalStatus |
spent Act
→
|
| legislativeBody |
Parliament of the United Kingdom
→
|
| mainEffect |
brought county franchise more into line with borough franchise
→
greatly increased the male electorate → |
| monarchAtEnactment |
Queen Victoria
→
|
| partOf |
Reform Acts
→
|
| precededBy |
Reform Act 1832
→
Representation of the People Act 1867 → |
| relatedLegislation |
Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
→
|
| royalAssent |
1884
→
|
| shortName |
Third Reform Act
→
|
| sponsoredBy |
William Ewart Gladstone
→
|
| standardized |
voting qualifications
→
|
| standardizedAcross |
United Kingdom constituencies
→
|
| subjectOf |
British constitutional history studies
→
scholarship on democratization in the United Kingdom → |
| typeOfChange |
franchise extension
→
qualification harmonization → |
| year |
1884
→
|
Referenced by (4)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Reform Act 1867
→
|
followedBy |
|
British reform movement
→
|
influenced |
|
Representation of the People Act 1884
("Third Reform Act")
→
|
shortName |
|
Reform Act 1832
→
|
successor |