The Chartists and the Reform Act of 1867
Study note
Even after 1832, most people still had no vote. A new movement grew up to demand the vote for the working classes and others who owned no property. Its campaigners were known as the Chartists, and they presented petitions to Parliament to press their case. So the campaigners to remember by name are the Chartists, not the Whigs, the Jacobites or the Fenians.
Their pressure eventually helped bring further change. In 1867 another Reform Act created many more seats in the towns and cities and reduced the amount of property a man needed in order to vote. This widened the vote again, though most men still could not vote and no women at all could. So pair the Chartists with the campaign for working men's votes and the 1867 Reform Act with the next step in extending it.
Memory tip: Chartists demand votes for working men; the 1867 Reform Act widens the vote further.
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Question 1 of 2
What were the campaigners who demanded the vote for the working classes called?
Show all questions and answers for The Chartists and the Reform Act of 1867(2 questions with explanations)
The Chartists and the Reform Act of 1867: questions, answers and explanations
1. What were the campaigners who demanded the vote for the working classes called?
- The Fenians
- The Chartists
- The Whigs
- The Jacobites
Correct answer: The Chartists
The Chartists presented petitions to Parliament demanding the vote for working people.
2. What did the Reform Act of 1867 do?
- Abolished Parliament
- Gave all women the vote
- Ended the British Empire
- Created more urban seats and reduced the property needed to vote
Correct answer: Created more urban seats and reduced the property needed to vote
The 1867 Reform Act created more urban seats and lowered the property requirement for voting.
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