GROWTH OF WESTERN

DEMOCRACIES
SECTION 1 – ENGLAND
 REFORMING PARLIAMENT EARLY
1900s
• HOUSE OF LORDS – Nobles and Clergy
• HOUSE OF COMMONS – Elected, only 5% had suffrage

• SAME OLD PROBLEM?????? / HOW WAS IT SOLVED?????????

• REFORMING REPRESENTATION IN PARLIAMENT – 1) Rotten Boroughs,

fixed by the Great Reform Act of 1832

• 1840s 2) CHARTIST – Reform Movement, secret ballots

• LATE 1800S REFORMS TRANSFORMED THE GOVERNMENT INTO A
Parliamentary Democracy – Prime Minister and cabinet chosen by
and a part of Parliament
 SECTION 2 – SOCIAL & ECONOMIC
REFORM
• FREE TRADE VS IMPORT TAXES – CORN LAWS (WHEAT, BARLEY, OATS),
supported by ???????????????? / opposed by ?????????????????

• MID 1800S – 10 hour workday for women and children, workplace

safety, min. wage

• FABIAN SOCIETY – Socialist group influenced politics – legal means,

non violent
 1800s IRISH QUESTION
• IRISH NATIONALISM – RESENTMENT OF THE BRITISH OVER
• A) ABSENTEE LANDLORDS
• B) CATHOLICS TAXED TO SUPPORT THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND

• 1829 CATHOLIC EMANCIPATION ACT – Allowed Irish Catholics to vote

and hold public office

• 1921 – Ireland becomes independent

 1845 - 1849

• THE GREAT FAMINE – What was it, what could have been done
 SECTION 3 - FRANCE
• NAPOLEON III – 1848
• THE SECOND EMPIRE
• 1864 Helps put Prince Maximilian (Austrian Prince), on the throne of
Mexico – tries to create a French satellite
• Helped Italian nationalists defeat the Austrian’s – Italy became an
enemy of France
• 1870 – Franco/Prussian War brought an end to the 2nd Empire
 PROBLEMS

• 1875 BEGINS THE 3RD REPUBLIC – GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE IS A

• LEGISLATIVE BODY – MANY POLITICAL PARTIES – COALITIONS HAVE
TO BE FORMED / WHY? / DISADVANTAGES?

• 1894 – DREYFUS AFFAIR – SHOWS A RISE IN ANTI-SEMITISM / JEWS

ARE GETTING JOBS IN BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT – STILL
CALLING FOR THEIR OWN SEPARATE STATE / WHY?
 REFORMS
• DREYFUS AFFAIR LEADS TO FRENCH GOVERNMENT LIMITS THE
POWER OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE GOVERNMENT BY
CREATING A FREE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM

• NAPOLEONIC CODE MISTREATED WOMEN

• A) RIGHTS TO THEIR OWN EARNINGS IN 1896
• B) WOMEN DO NOT RECEIVE SUFFRAGE UNTIL AFTER WW1
 SECTION 4 – EXPANSION IN THE U.S.
• 18OOs William Lloyd Garrison calls for abolition – the end of slavery

• 1869 15th Amendment – cannot be denied the right to vote based on

race
• 1890s Farmers / City Workers support Populist Party – one issue
they got passed was the 8 hour work day