Democracy's Rise in the 19th Century: Suffrage and Rights

The Era of Democracy

Pretended democratic regimes require the effective participation of citizens in politics. This supposes:

• Organizing states according to the principles of voting and respect for freedoms and rights.
• Advocating for access to information and culture.

Between 1870 and 1914, the expansion of democratic regimes took place in Western Europe. Gradually, authoritarian regimes disappeared, and freedoms restricted voting.

Suffrage

The right to vote was extended to a growing number of citizens. In the last third of the 19th century, the vote was censitary and masculine. The female vote was not yet implemented.

Universal male suffrage became a reality in Europe and America, with advances and setbacks.

The Constitution

The constitution is a set of principles governing a state. It provides a systematic and rational management and defines the organization and exercise of power. It is a text accepted by all modes of governing participation in power and decision-making policies. The first constitutions in the modern sense were the U.S. Constitution. Britain had no written constitution. Until 1851, the majority of European states were absolutist. When liberal regimes prevailed, a constitution was enacted. Almost all adopted the bicameral parliamentary system.

Social Conflicts in the Mid-19th Century

One of the features of this era was the growing strength of the union struggle to improve working conditions, rest, vacations, etc. The workers staged protest movements of various kinds. Some were typical of industrial society, but insurrections were maintained. Luddism appeared, which consisted of the destruction of machines and industrial plants in which the worker saw their job being taken away.

Social and Labor Movements

Within this framework of political, cultural, and social development in Western Europe and the United States, diverse movements acted to achieve real equality for all people.

The first sought to correct abuses that degenerated into the individualistic capitalist exploitation of labor.

Then began to appear movements that desired to achieve real equality for women in contemporary societies.