1. Democratic Reform and Activism Changes in the 19 th Centrury

2. Reforms in Britain Rapid industrialization brought new problems unforeseen by the government Greater wealth for the upper classes but no increase in wealth or political power for the working classes brought resentment Changes had to be to be made if revolution was to be avoided

3. Reforms in Britain By 1800 only 5% of British population could vote (males, not females) Britain was a constitutional monarchy in name but in practice was an aristocracy There needed to be some changes and the lower classes needed more political voice if revolution was to be avoided

4. Reform Bill of 1832 Wealthy middle class demanded changes They demanded suffrage for themselves, not for lower classes or for women Revolution in France in 1830 scared Parliament & the upper classes

5. Reform Bill of 1832 Property restrictions for voting relaxed for upper middle class New election districts created “Rotten Boroughs” eliminated Industrial cities received more representation in Parliament

6. Rotten Bouroughs a parliamentary borough or constituency in the United Kingdom that had a very small electorate and could be used by a patron to gain undue and unrepresentative influence within Parliament.

7. The Chartist Movement Reforms of 1832 were not enough to make the workers happy & more changes were needed The People’s Charter (1838) was presented to Parliament The movement called Chartist Movement

8. The People’s Charter Universal male suffrage Annual parliamentary elections Demanded secret ballot Demanded end to property requirements for membership in Parliament Demanded Parliament be paid for service

9. The People’s Charter Parliament rejected the Charter Why do you suppose they rejected it? Some Chartists even arrested and sent to Australia as punishment Changes would eventually be made as a result but it would take more time

10. Changes Parliament extended the vote to working- class men in 1867, rural working men in 1884 and by 1900 virtually all males in Britain (save for criminals and the insane) had the vote Women would not get the vote in Britain (or the US) until 1920

11. The Dreyfus Affair CPT Alfred Dreyfus was a French Jew accused of selling secrets to the Germans He was convicted with forged evidence & sentenced to life The reason for Dreyfus’ conviction was anti-Semitism

12. Zionism A form of nationalism Movement led by Theodore Herzl The idea was to escape the anti-Semitism of Europe and return to Palestine to create a homeland for Jews (Israel) Movement had little traction until 1945

13. The Irish The English have dominated Ireland since the 12 th century 16 th & 17 th centuries saw harsh oppression of Irish language, culture & the Catholic Religion Ireland formally joined to Britain in 1801 & received representation in Parliament

14. The Irish Catholic Emancipation Act passed 1829 to restore rights to Catholics Potato Famine of the 1840s resulted in deaths of more than 1.5 million people & the immigration of more than 2 million others

15. The Irish In the 17th and 18th centuries, Irish Catholics had been prohibited by the penal laws from owning land, from leasing land; from voting, from holding political office; from obtaining education, from entering a profession, and from doing many other things that are necessary in order to succeed and prosper in life.

16. The Irish February 1845: "It would be impossible adequately to describe the privations which they [Irish laborer & his family] habitually and silently endure... in many districts their only food is the potato, their only beverage water... their cabins are seldom a protection against the weather... a bed or a blanket is a rare luxury... and nearly in all their pig and a manure heap constitute their only property."

17. The Irish Ireland was 80% Catholic Most large landowners were English Protestants who hired “middlemen” to collects rents from tenants Middlemen leased lands from landlords & sub-divided these lands to collect more rents

18. The Irish Holdings were so small that only potatoes—no other crop—would suffice to feed a family Two-thirds of population depended on agriculture for their survival, but they rarely received a working wage When the blight hit, there was no way the poor could feed themselves

19. The Irish Crop loss in 1845 has been estimated at a high of 50% In 1846 three-quarters of the harvest was lost to blight 1848 yields would be only two thirds of normal As over 3 million Irish people were totally dependent on potatoes for food, famine was inevitable

20. Irish Home Rule The famine, the penal laws, the anti- Catholic bias all convinced many Irish to support the cause of Home Rule British feared losing Ireland completely & refused 1914: plans for Irish Home Rule scrapped because of WWI

21. Irish Home Rule 1916 Easter Rising: Irish nationalists started a revolt that was crushed by the British with the leaders being executed Irish nationalists refused to give up & formed the Irish Republican Army (IRA) IRA attacks sparked war between Irish nationalists & Britain

22. Irish Home Rule 1921: British negotiated with IRA and granted Ireland Home Rule for only the 26 southern counties New state called Irish Free State 6 Northern counties, heavily Protestant, stayed with Britain Irish nationalist extremists provoked a civil war over the partial Home Rule

23. Irish Home Rule Free State (Ireland) declared its independence from Britain in 1949 Britain still controls northern counties called Ulster or Northern Ireland Most of the 20 th century in Ireland has seen violence committed by both sides Good Friday Agreement of 1998 signaled new peaceful phase in Ireland