DID THE 1832 REFORM ACT MAKE ANY MAJOR CHANGES IN THE STRUCTURE OF BRITISH POLITICS?

The 1832 Reform Act, often referred to as the ‘Great’ Reform Act, is traditionally perceived in one of two main ways. Firstly, the act can be viewed as an important, progressive step towards the establishment of Britain as a modern, democratic and representative state. This idea supports the idea of a key victory for the disenfranchised majority of British citizens and the first sign that the grip of the aristocracy on the state being weakened. Alternatively, it can be viewed as something of a non-entity, an act designed to appease the increasingly discontented masses. This line of argument suggests that the act in many ways strengthened the…(short extract)