ABSTRACT

Lord John Russell, and others in his party, had confidently predicted that the Great Reform Act of 1832 would be a ‘final settlement’ of the parliamentary question. This, like all such prognostications, proved premature. During the Victorian era, two further Reform Acts followed in 1867 and 1884 to extend the franchise and redistribute seats, although the basis for full universal suffrage was not achieved until those of 1918 and 1928. This chapter will examine the period leading up to 1867; interpretations of the passing and effects of the 1867 Act; and the need for and results of the 1884 Act.