1832 Reform Act (2 lessons)

Key Questions : Was Britain a democratic country in the Nineteenth Century? How 'great' was the 1832 Reform Act?
The resources aim to contrast the eighteenth century electoral system with that of modern Britain and consider why there were demands to reform Parliament in the 1820s. Two Power Point presentations explain the key features of the modern system of elections and that of the 1820s, with accompanying worksheets to compare the two and consider different viewpoints relating to the reform of Parliamentary elections. Several sheets provide definitions of key words. The lessons represent the start of a longer module focusing on democracy and protest in the nineteenth century.
Key concepts: continuity and change, similarity and difference, cause and effect, historical significance, empathy, handling historical sources, interpretation; democracy, election, constituencies, ballot, parties, corruption.
Assessment : historical sources - polling station illustration (layers of inference grid and extended written answer).