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Political Reforms
The world has gone through numerous eras and ages to get to its current state. Some of these periods have been forgotten, but others shall remain etched in the memory of humanity for as long as it exists. A good example of a period that will be remembered in this manner is the Victorian era. It will not only be remembered by the British, but also by the rest of the world as a period when major transformations that continue to shape the world today took place. Although the transformations took place across all spheres of life, this brief discourse explores the political reforms that occurred during the era and their outcomes.
Before examining the political reforms of the Victorian era, it is important to understand what it means and why it was given this name. Victoria was the Queen of the British Empire between 1837 and 1901 (Bronstein and Harris 45). The Victorian era was named after her. Thus, the Victorian era refers to the period during which Queen Vitoria reigned over the British Empire.
Many changes took place during this era, but of interest to this essay are the changes that occurred in the political realm. Queen Victoria’s ascension to power came at a time when political reform was beginning to take shape within the British Empire (Bronstein and Harris 31). The main political groupings that existed at the time, the Tories and the Whigs, had already passed the first Reforms Act in 1832 (Bronstein and Harris 31). The Act granted middle-class citizens voting rights in addition to changing the mode of representation in parliament to cover the interests of more segments of the population.
Before the Act, only the upper class took part in the political process. As such, the lower social classes did not influence the taxes and other regulations that governed them. The second Reforms Act followed in 1867 (Kam 2). It gave lower-class people voting rights, opening up the political process to a larger fraction of the society. Finally, in 1884, the Third Reform Act was passed. It gave all men the right to take part in the political process (Bronstein and Harris 31). These developments gave impetus to the development of democracy. Thus, the concept of democracy first emerged during the Victorian era.
The three Acts were a culmination of heightened activism, which sought to entrench the idea of equality within British society. Like any other process of change, the freedom brought about by these Acts led to the emergence of desperate attempts by the upper class to maintain the status quo. Consequently, graft, election petitions, and many other electoral malpractices that characterize young democracies became rampant in Britain (Kam 1). Nonetheless, through a gradual process of continuous improvement, modern democracy emerged. Today, it is the most widely acclaimed system of government across the world because it grants people the freedom to carry out their activities without government interference.
The Irish
While the Victorian era brought prosperity to England, the case was different in Ireland. The famine that ravaged Ireland in the 1840s coupled with other issues caused Ireland to lose over four million people by the end of the Victorian era (Jordan 105). Additionally, the industrial revolution that swept across Britain during the Victorian era did not extend to Ireland. Only the region near Belfast shared the benefits of Britain’s rapid transformation.
The condition of the Irish people largely remained as it had been before the start of the Victorian era. This disparity caused Ireland’s elite to blame the British government for their suffering. They began to view the Act of Union, which brought them together with Britain as a ruse because it seemed to benefit only Britain (Jordan 110). Therefore, motivated by the heightened political activism that was ongoing in Britain, the Irish started piling pressure on the British government to allow them to establish their government.
The question of whether or not to allow Ireland to govern itself dominated British politics in the second half of the Victorian era. This debate came to be referred to as the Irish question. With the growing democratic space in Britain, a significant number of British politicians, including some from the government side, thought that it was time to allow Ireland to rule itself. The political tussle that ensued saw the Liberal party lose to the opposition.
The political reforms that had taken place in Britain gave greater power to the people to decide the political direction they wanted their country to take. It is important to note that the failure of the industrial revolution to extend to Ireland instigated an unprecedented movement of Irish workers to British towns to seek employment (Jordan 114). As such, establishing a home rule back in Ireland at the time would have denied Britain cheap labor. Therefore, Ireland did not get the permission it sought during the Victorian era.
In conclusion, the occurrences of the Victorian era had far-reaching outcomes that continue to be seen to date. The concept of democracy is the single most outstanding outcome of the political reforms that occurred during the Victorian era. Its popularity continues to grow even today as more nations adopt it. This trend is a clear indicator that the transformations that took place during the Victorian era were remarkable and shall be remembered throughout the existence of humanity.
Works Cited
Bronstein, Jamie L, and Andrew T Harris. Empire, State, and Society. 1st ed. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. Print.
Jordan, Thomas E. “The Quality of Life in Victorian Ireland, 1831-1901.” New Hibernia Review/Iris Eireannach Nua (2000): 103-121. Print.
Kam, Christopher. “Four Lessons about Corruption from Victorian Britain.” University of British Columbia, Vancouver, (2007): 1-18. Print.
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