The Voice of Radicalism

Political Radicalism - Twentieth Century

Liberal radicalism was a set of political beliefs centred on the rights of the individual rather than on the rights of the group. This eventually came to mean equal citizenship rights for all adults whether they were rich or poor, male or female. Middle class and working class radicals came to agree about political equality, and the right of all adults to vote. Those aims were realised by two Acts of Parliament.

The Representation of the People Act (1918), gave the vote to:

• All adult males
• Eighty per cent of females aged 30 years and over.

The Equal Franchise Act (1928)

• Gave females the vote on the same basis as men.

The Equal Franchise Act ended the process which had begun in 1832. This Act, introduced by a Conservative government, completed the Chartist programme which had started in the 1830s. In the mid-nineteenth century, the Chartists had been regarded as dangerous revolutionaries.

Twentieth Century >>

Historic Collections · Kings College · Old Aberdeen · AB24 3SW

Tel:(0)44 1224 274312 · E-mail: radicalism@abdn.ac.uk

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