Approaching democracy: the virtues of representative democracy in mid-Victorian England

Abstract

In 19th century Britain the questions of representation, parliamentary reform and democracy were more categorically discussed. The Great Reform Act of 1832 epitomised hope for many people who felt left out of the suffrage, as it would reform the British electoral system but in fact it didn't match expected outcomes. In this article we explore and assess the direct and unintended effects of the 1867 Reform Act, also known as the Second Reform Act, analysing the relation between representation and democracy as the possession of the vote and of political power were not necessarily the same thing. We also scrutinise the construction of a political discourse sustained by several playwrights, such as historians and political writers, to meet political, economic and social needs, highlighting opposing views regarding suffrage and the disbelief in democracy focusing particularly on Thomas Carlyle and his 1867 pamphlet: Shooting Niagara - And after? and some of the supporters of the extension of the franchise, namely J. S. Mill, Gladstone and Disraeli. In order to support these aims, we will also bring to light how some nineteenth century periodicals cast the debate on suffrage, namely The Illustrated London News (ILN), The Times, Fun and Punch. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion