The temporal dynamics of the franchise expansion: Timing, tempo, and reversals

Abstract

The development of political rights, and in particular, the right to vote, was the end result of a long historical process going back to the eighteenth century and was rooted in the development of civic rights (Marshall 1964; Bendix 1978). [.] The development of voting rights should not be seen as linear development of previous and perquisite rights of expressions, association, and opposition. [.] It is difficult to find a common dimension along which to rank-order national cases. However, I distinguish cases along an early versus late [timing] dimension, a sudden versus gradual [tempo] dimension, and a continuity dimension (with or without important reversals).