Binding the powers сплетіння

War and democracy

In 1901 Britain had a constitutional government, but it was not a fully-fledged повністю сформована democracy. In 1918 it became a democracy, with the introduction of universal adult male suffrage право голосу and votes for women aged over 30.

World War One determined the timing розпорядок of democratic change.

World War One may not have initiated democratic change, but it determined its timing. Ironically, the war's demands also weakened ослабила the exercise of constitutional government, albeit хоч і temporarily.

Freedom of speech was curtailed скорочений by the Defence of the Realm Act королівським указом in 1914. Elections, due in 1915, were deferred відкладені until the war was concluded. And the formation of a coalition government in the same year all but silenced parliamentary opposition. Заглушили опозицію

When Britain entered World War One, it did so in the name of 19th century liberal values - the rights of small nations and the rule of law.

What justified these claims, which became the touchstone характерною рисою of British propaganda, was Germany's invasion of Belgium, as its army bypassed обійшла France's eastern defences by swinging round повернувши them to the north.

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Wooing ухаживание the workers

But 19th century liberalism, although it had a provided powerful rhetoric in foreign affairs, had been more limited in its domestic aspirations. 'Household suffrage', adopted in 1867, tied political responsibility to the ownership of property.

Although increasing affluence изобилие meant that the boundaries межі of this suffrage were porous пористий, in 1914 Britain had the most restrictive обмежений franchise право голосувати на виборах of any power in Europe, with the exception of Hungary. Many of those killed in action in 1914-1918 were fighting for a state that denied them the vote.

The Liberals were returned to power at the end of 1905, winning elections in 1906 and 1910 (twice), even if with dwindling зменшення majorities.

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Binding the powers сплетіння

At the beginning of the 20th century, Britain had struggled боролася in its three-year war with the Boer republics of South Africa, and realised that it needed not just to reform the army but also to tackle енергетично взятися issues of finance, public health and colonial government.

The reforms it initiated were designed to enable приспособити it better to deal with the responsibilities of imperialism, up to and including war. A sequence of international agreements created regional balances and so mitigated пом*як шити the consequences наслідки of global responsibility.

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