Question

What were the major problems in the British parliamentary system? Check all that apply.

Only five percent of the population was able to vote.
Only wealthy landowners were able to vote.
Only wealthy business owners were able to vote.
Large cities were extremely underrepresented.
Large and small cities had equal representation.

Answer 1

Select the ones that were problems:

- Only five percent of the population was able to vote. — Yes. Before the Reform Act of 1832 only a small minority (often cited ~5% of the adult population) could vote.
- Only wealthy landowners were able to vote. — Yes. The franchise was heavily based on property (e.g. 40‑shilling freeholders and other land-based qualifications), so landowning elites dominated.
- Only wealthy business owners were able to vote. — No. Many industrialists and business owners in new cities were excluded by the property rules; the system favored landowners, not urban business owners.
- Large cities were extremely underrepresented. — Yes. rapidly growing industrial cities (e.g. Manchester, Birmingham) had little or no parliamentary representation.
- Large and small cities had equal representation. — Yes (as a problem). Small “rotten” or pocket boroughs often had the same or greater representation as big cities, producing severe malapportionment.