Parliamentary Reform
Demand for parliamentary reform increased by 1864 with agitation from John Bright and the Reform League. The Liberal prime minister Earl Russell introduced a modest bill which was defeated by both Tories and reform Liberals, forcing the government to resign. A Conservative minority government led by the Earl of Derby and Benjamin Disraeli took office and introduced the Reform Act 1867 which almost doubled the electorate, giving the vote even to working men.
Read more about this topic: Radicals (UK)
Famous quotes containing the word reform:
“The reform [of the civil service] should be thorough, radical, and complete.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)