Why was the 3rd Reform Act Passed and how would you assess its Significance
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The Third Reform Act of 1884 was introduced for both political and ideological reasons however the political reasons behind the introduction of the act played a much more important and influential role. In the past two reform acts of 1832 and 1867 political manoeuvring had played a small role in their introduction but the main reason behind their being introduced was the widespread call for reform shown by the serious protests and demonstrations such as the Bristol Riots of 1831 and the Hyde Park Riots of 1866. The call for reform from outside parliament was very strong before the 1832 and 1867 reform acts whereas by 1884 the call for reform had died down outside parliament, there were people who certainly did want more reform but there were no widespread protests as there had been before. The 1884 Reform Act was mainly passed for the political advantage of both the Tories and the Liberals and wasn't introduced to change the nature of the country, the Liberals wanted to introduce reform to keep their party together and gain support among the middle and lower classes. The Tories in a piece of political genius allowed the act to pass through the House of Lords but only if the act was followed by a Redistribution Act, which greatly benefited them. The significance of this reform act was much greater than the earlier reform acts, it change the political system a lot more even though the call for reform had been much less.
The Reform Act of 1884 was passed by the Liberal Party mainly for political advancement, both perceived or real. The Liberal party although committed to reform with a pledge in 1877 had not passed any major reform acts since the Great Reform Act of 1832; the Gladstone administration had become bogged down in other matters such as Irish Home Rule. The radical right wing of the Liberal Party became very disillusioned with this, they believed in an extension of the franchise and a move towards democracy and were convinced it would gain them more support out in the countryside, a traditionally Tory dominated area. By the time Gladstone's second ministry had come along they were certainly deeply dissatisfied with the slow pace of reform and the apparent falling fortunes in the party's popularity and popular appeal, especially with Gladstone's cabinet being dominated with Whigs...