Chapter 23Section 1

Queen Victoria Victoria Era Benjamin Disraeli Suffrage Emmeline Parkhurst

Growing prosperity of the working and middles classes led to demand for goods

1800 landowning aristocrats made up Parliament

Some industrial cities had no representation

Britain wealthy male property owners could vote

Catholics and Jews could hold political office

House of commons not paid so only wealthy served

British liberals were challenging the old order

People demanded greater political participation

Reform Act of 1832 gave representation in Parliament

• Gave the vote to the middle class

• Increased eligible voters by 50%

• Reduced power of the aristocracy

• Only men with a certain amount of property could vote

• Prevented many working class from voting

• Investigate treatment of children in factories– Harmful conditions– Mistreatment– Long hours– Low wages

• Passed the Factory Act of 1833

• Teenagers could not work more than 12 hours

• Children 9-13 had to receive two hours of school

1833 parliament abolished slavery

Government would compensate slave owners

Passed public health and crime laws to improve living conditions

1839 Chartists demanded voting rights for all

men Secret ballot Annual elections Pay representatives

in parliament Secret ballot

prevented intimidation during voting

Parliament rejected their ideas

Turned down the People’s Charter

By the end of the 1800’s many of their reforms had been passed

1837 Queen Victoria

Reign lasted to 1901 longest in British history

Became more democratic during her reign

• Benjamin Disraeli- Prime Minister, member of conservative party

• Slow to accept reforms• Wanted to preserve

the past• Gladstone was a liberal• More progressive to

solving society’s problems

Disraeli put forth a new reform bill

1867 one out of every three men could vote

Another bill created the secret ballot

1885 Gladstone pushed a reform bill that extended voting rights even further

Suffrage- the right to vote

Women’s rights were raised during the Enlightenment

1800’s women not equals Could not own

property Not considered

legal guardians of their children

Queen Victoria against women’s right to vote

“Mad, wicked folly.” 1886 Disraeli

argued for women’s right to vote

Said if a women could be queen or own land they should be able to vote

Millicent Garrett Fawcett -lobbied members of

Parliament Signed petitions Educated the public

Emmeline Pankhurst Founded Women’s

Social and Political Union

“You have to make more noise than everyone else”

1918 Parliament grants the right to vote

Women over the age of 30

1928 women have the same voting rights as men

1801 Ireland has been part of the United Kingdom

Act of Union joined England, Scotland, and Wales

Some Irish hated British rule

British landlords owned much of Ireland’s land

Had power to evict Irish farmers

Several times in the 1800’s the potato crop failed

Left many with no food or income

1 million starved 1.5 left for the U.S.

Ireland continued to export food during the famine

Left Irish ports for England

British officials encouraged the trade

Did not want to harm British economy

Famine made people more resentful

1860’s Irish began to fight for change

Violent protests Ireland wanted to

govern itself Ireland received

limited self government in 1920

Colony controlled by Britain

Some spoke French 1837 rebellions in

Canada 1838 Lord Durham

wanted to unite Canada

Form “a great and powerful people“

1867 united several Canadian colonies

Power to govern themselves

Canada becomes a dominion

Canada developed its own identity but remained close to Britain

Canada became model of self government

1700’s Australia used for prisoners

1800’s discovery of copper and gold brought settlers

1901 Britain granted self rule

Britain made a deal of land for self rule

Maori people New Zealand

became a dominion 1893- New Zealand

was the first country to give women the right to vote