Representation of the People Act 1918

E166417

The Representation of the People Act 1918 was a landmark British law that massively expanded the electorate, including granting limited voting rights to women and most working-class men, and is seen as a major milestone in the democratization of the United Kingdom.

All labels observed (6)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom ⓘ
United Kingdom electoral law ⓘ
abolished most property qualifications for men ⓘ
plural voting for most men ⓘ
alsoKnownAs Fourth Reform Act ⓘ
appliesToJurisdiction England ⓘ
Ireland (then part of the United Kingdom) ⓘ
Scotland ⓘ
Wales ⓘ
approximateElectorateIncrease from about 7.7 million to about 21.4 million voters ⓘ
approximateMenVotersAdded about 5.2 million men ⓘ
approximateWomenVotersAdded about 8.4 million women ⓘ
cameIntoForce 1918 ⓘ
changedElectoralSystem increased number of Members of Parliament ⓘ
redrew many parliamentary constituencies ⓘ
country United Kingdom ⓘ
effectOnElectorate extended the parliamentary franchise to most adult men ⓘ
granted limited voting rights to women ⓘ
greatly expanded the electorate ⓘ
enabled participation of a much larger working-class electorate ⓘ
excludedFromFranchise most women under 30 years of age ⓘ
some poorer women over 30 without required property qualifications ⓘ
grantedVoteTo men over 19 years of age who had served in the armed forces during the First World War ⓘ
men over 21 years of age meeting residence requirements ⓘ
women over 30 years of age meeting property qualifications ⓘ
historicalContext enacted near the end of the First World War ⓘ
historicalSignificance first time women were enfranchised for parliamentary elections in the UK ⓘ
major milestone in the democratization of the United Kingdom ⓘ
impactOnPolitics contributed to rise of the Labour Party ⓘ
introducedBy David Lloyd George ministry ⓘ
language English ⓘ
legislativeBody Parliament of the United Kingdom ⓘ
linked to: British Parliament
relatedLegislation Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act 1918 ⓘ
Reform Act 1832 ⓘ
Reform Act 1867 ⓘ
Representation of the People (Equal Franchise) Act 1928 ⓘ
Representation of the People Act 1884 ⓘ
repealed yes ⓘ
repealedBy Representation of the People Act 1948 ⓘ
retained some plural voting for business premises owners ⓘ
some plural voting for university graduates ⓘ
royalAssent 1918-02-06 ⓘ
shortName Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
subject electoral reform ⓘ
franchise expansion ⓘ
suffrage ⓘ
women's suffrage in the United Kingdom ⓘ
usedFor elections to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom ⓘ
yearEnacted 1918 ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (36)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

women's suffrage movement → hasKeyEvent → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
Representation of the People Act 1884 → followedBy → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
Representation of the People Act 1918 → shortName → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
Women's Social and Political Union → campaignFocus → Representation of the People Bill ⓘ
linked to: Representation of the People Act 1918
Emmeline Pankhurst → influenced → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
Representation of the People Act 1928 → amended → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
Representation of the People Act 1928 → predecessor → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
Caernarvon Boroughs → abolishedBy → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies → supportedLegislation → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
Twickenham (UK Parliament constituency) → boundaryChange → 1918 Representation of the People Act ⓘ
subject linked to: Twickenham constituency
linked to: Representation of the People Act 1918
Reform Acts → hasPart → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
Liberal government of the United Kingdom → implementedReform → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
United Kingdom parliamentary constituencies → reformedBy → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
Representation of the People Acts → hasPart → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
Representation of the People Acts → hasPart → Representation of the People Act 1918 (Session 2) ⓘ
linked to: Representation of the People Act 1918
Representation of the People Acts → notableWork → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
Hammersmith (UK Parliament constituency) → abolishedBy → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
1918 United Kingdom general election → legalBasis → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
31st Parliament of the United Kingdom → legislated → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
East Worcestershire → abolishedBy → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
Flapper election → predecessorFranchiseLaw → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
Caerphilly (UK Parliament constituency) → creationEvent → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
Westminster St George's → boundaryChanges → 1918 Representation of the People Act ⓘ
linked to: Representation of the People Act 1918
York (UK Parliament constituency) → majorReform → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
North Louth → abolishedBy → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
subject linked to: constituency of North Louth
Fourth Reform Act → hasFormalName → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
Fourth Reform Act → shortTitle → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
David Lloyd George ministry → significantEvent → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
David Lloyd George ministry → significantEvent → Reform Act 1918 ⓘ
linked to: Representation of the People Act 1918
Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act 1918 → relatedTo → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
Peebles and Southern Midlothian (UK Parliament constituency) → abolishedBy → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
NUWSS → supportedReform → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
Brentford and Chiswick (UK Parliament constituency) → boundaryChangeReason → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
Kilmarnock (UK Parliament constituency) → createdBy → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ
UK Parliament 1918–1922 → significantEvent → Representation of the People Act 1918 (first election under its provisions) ⓘ
linked to: Representation of the People Act 1918
Newcastle upon Tyne East → createdBy → Representation of the People Act 1918 ⓘ