The Vote: How It Was Won and How It Was UnderminedThe culmination of a lifetime's work by the celebrated journalist and historian Paul Foot, The Vote tells the thrilling story of how the universal franchise was secured in Britain, and the slow erosion that followed. Foot takes readers from the smoke-filled church of the Putney Debates to the incendiary arguments between Thomas Paine and Edmund Burke in the aftermath of the French Revolution, to the rise of Chartism and the fight for women's suffrage. Throughout, Foot shows how vested interests first delayed and then hobbled the progress of democracy. Looking to the twentieth century, Foot exposes the gaps between the promises of a succession of Labour governments and their actions once in power, and the party's abandonment of any aspiration to economic democracy. Written with Paul Foot's inimitable energy and engaging style, this is a classic work of history and a must-read for anyone interested in the origins of today's political scene. |
Contents
PART | |
Revolt of the Chartists | |
The Leap in the Dark | |
Women | |
The Grey Decade | |
195170 | |
197079 | |
The Tory Counterattack and the Labour | |
Their Democracy and Ours | |
Bibliography | |
Index | |
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Common terms and phrases
agitation Aneurin Bevan argued argument army ballot Barbara Castle became Bevan Britain British by-election Cabinet called campaign capitalism capitalist Chartist committee Communist conference constitutional Council councillors Cripps Cromwell debate defeat demand democracy democratic demonstration economic elected electoral employers enfranchisement force franchise George Lansbury Government’s Harold Wilson House of Commons huge industry Ireland Ireton John King Labour Government Labour leaders Labour MPs Labour Party Lansbury later League Lloyd George London Lord MacDonald majority Marx mass meeting militant miners Model Army movement National organized Pankhurst Parliament parliamentary petition political poor popular Prime Minister prison proposed protest public ownership R. H. Tawney Rainsborough Reform Bill representative Revolution revolutionary rich Secretary Sexby social socialist society speech strike suffragettes Tony Benn Tory trade unions trade-union leaders universal suffrage victory Whig Wilson women’s suffrage workers working-class wrote WSPU