... The first change between 1850 and 1918 was the Second Reform Act in 1867 [the first being in 1932] which gave the middle classes the right to vote. There were well-organised protest campaigns going on at the time, one of the organisers being the National Reform League. They were putting pressure on the government to extend the franchise. There was a demonstration in Hyde Park that turned violent. It made the government fearful that if they did not extend the franchise they may have even more violence to deal with. By 1850 many people wanted to be able to express their political opinions and choose who governed them. Textile workers in cotton mills that used cotton picked by slaves in the southern states of the USA went on strike and quit their jobs to show their support for the anti-slavery stance of the northern USA. This gave politicians the impression ...

See this essay or coursework document in full right now