Chapter 24: Growth of Western Democracies

Chapter 24: Growth of Western Democracies Section 1: Britain Becomes more Democratic Section 2: A Century of Reform Section 3: Division & Democracy in France Section 4: Expansion of the United States

Section 1: Britain Becomes more Democratic

 Summary:  In

Britain, political change came from gradual reform throughout the 1800s

Section 1: Britain Becomes more Democratic  In

1815, Britain had a monarch

 It

also had a parliament with two political parties  Still, it was NOT democratic  Parliament

was made up of the House of Lords (nobles and high-ranking church leaders) and the House of Commons (men elected by the 5% of the population who had the right to vote)

Section 1: Britain Becomes more Democratic  Moreover,

the House of Lords had the power to veto, or reject, any bill passed by the House of Commons  Therefore,

reformers wanted more democracy  In the 1820s England ended laws that restricted some religious groups from voting  Another problem confronting English democracy was the existence of ‘rotten boroughs’

Section 1: Britain Becomes more Democratic  The

growth of cities had left some rural boroughs, or towns with few voters  These

rotten boroughs had more than their fair share of seats in Parliament  The Reform Act of 1832 gave more seats to large towns  It

also extended suffrage to all men who owned property

Section 1: Britain Becomes more Democratic  Queen

Victoria ruled the British Empire from 1837-1901  The Victorian Age was a time for manners hard work, honesty and reform

Section 1: Britain Becomes more Democratic  In

the 1860s, political parties changed

 Nobles

and landowners of the Tory Party joined the new Conservative Party  The mostly Middle-class Whig Party grew into the Liberal Party  Both

Parties wanted Democracy

Section 1: Britain Becomes more Democratic A

Conservative bill extended suffrage to working class men  Later,

liberals extended suffrage to include farmers and most other men  Another Liberal bill limited the veto power of the House of Lords & gave the House of Commons more power

Section 2: A Century of Reform

 Summary:  In

the 1800s and early 1900s, Parliament passed many reform measures

Section 2: A Century of Reform  From

1815 to 1914, British reformers called for change  New

laws improved working conditions and allowed trade unions  They

also provided for free elementary schools reduced harsh punishments for crimes and ended slavery  Trade

goods

reforms lowered tariffs, or taxes on imported

Section 2: A Century of Reform  In

1900, the trade unions founded a new political party, the Labour Party  It

pushed through more laws to protect workers

Section 2: A Century of Reform  British

women called for the right of suffrage, or the right vote  They

held huge rallies and marches  When these demonstrations failed, some protesters smashed windows and burned buildings A

few went on hunger strikes  In 1918, Parliament gave the right to vote for women over 30, in 1928 suffrage was extended to include women 18 and over

Section 2: A Century of Reform  Throughout

the 1800s, Nationalists in Ireland fought British rule  Ireland  No

demanded CHANGE!!!

longer would the Irish pay high rents to their British landlords  No longer would Irish Catholics turn over their money to support the Church of England  No longer would Irish crops go to England while Irish families starved

Section 2: A Century of Reform 

http://205.213.162.11/project_write/PW_2002 /handouts/sampleppt/sld001.htm

Section 2: A Century of Reform  In

the 1870s, Irish Nationalists called for Home Rule, or local self-government  Finally,

in 1914, Parliament passed a home

rule bill  Counties

in the South of Ireland became independent in 1921

Section 2: A Century of Reform  Quiz  1.)

– Irish Potato Famine

Give a reason for the severity of the famine.  2.) How did the actions of England worsen this disaster?

Section 3: Division & Democracy in France  Summary:  Democratic

reforms in France took place under Napoleon III’s Second Empire and its successor, the Third Republic

Section 3: Division & Democracy in France  After

the French Revolution of 1848, Louis Napoleon was elected president of the Second Republic  He

was the nephew to Napoleon Bonaparte and his famous name won him votes

Section 3: Division & Democracy in France  The

working class liked his talk of social reform  But

in 1852, he declared himself Napoleon III ruler of the Second Empire  He

ruled like a dictator, censoring the press and choosing officials  However, he did keep his word to workers, by allowing them to set up unions and free health care

Section 3: Division & Democracy in France  While

Napoleon III made reforms at home he made major mistakes in foreign policy  He

tried to take power in Mexico and failed  In 1870, a crushing defeat at the hands of Prussia (Bismarck & William I) ended the Second Empire

Section 3: Division & Democracy in France  The  It

Third Republic arose

had a more democratic two-house legislature  All men could vote for members of the lower house  The two houses elected a president, but the real power belonged to the premier, or Prime Minister  A constitution separated church & state and guarded human rights

Section 3: Division & Democracy in France  In

1894, a scandal shook the Third Republic  Captain

Albert Dreyfus was jailed for spying for the Germans  Some

people felt the Army blamed Dreyfus solely because he was Jewish  In

the end Dreyfus was proven innocent

Section 3: Division & Democracy in France  The

Dreyfus Affair, along with antisemitism (or prejudice against Jewish people), across Europe worried Jewish leaders  Some

began to call for a separate state where Jewish people would have the rights and freedoms denied to them in European countries

Section 4: Expansion of the United States  Summary:  In

the United States, as in much of the world, the 1800s were a time of changing borders, growing industry and new laws

Section 4: Expansion of the United States  The

United States grew and changed greatly in the 1800s  Many

Americans felt it was their right to settle all the land between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans  Settlers

moved west, taking lands from the Native Americans

Section 4: Expansion of the United States  In

1803, President Jefferson bought land from France  His

Louisiana Purchase almost doubled the size of the Unites States

Section 4: Expansion of the United States  In

1848, Mexico gave up California and much of the Southwest  In 1867, the U.S. bought Alaska from Russia  In 1898, it gained Hawaii  War with Spain in 1898 gave the U.S. control of Puerto Rico, the Philippines and Guam

Section 4: Expansion of the United States

Section 4: Expansion of the United States  During

the 1800s, two movements brought greater democracy  Abolitionists

worked to end slavery

 Women

who worked in the abolitionist movement began to organize a women’s rights movement  They

called for equality under the law, at work and in schools

Section 4: Expansion of the United States

 By

1860, economic conflicts split the nation  The

South relied on farming  The North was more industrialized  The

regions also disagreed on the issue of slavery

Section 4: Expansion of the United States

 Southern

plantations felt they needed slave

labor  The

South worried about President-elect Abraham Lincoln’s opposition to the extension of slavery into new territories

Section 4: Expansion of the United States  In

1861, southern states seceded, or separated from the Union  The

American Civil War began

 The

North won the war in 1865, and the nation was reunited  It had been the bloodiest war in American history