United Kingdom general election, 1874

The British general election of 1874 ended the first Willam Ewart Gladstone's reign and brought the Conservatives a an electoral victory. The new prime minister was Benjamin Disraeli. Background was the dissolution of Parliament by Gladstone, despite a Liberal majority of 66 seats. The election was the second after the Representation of the Peoples Act of 1867, which led to a first-time collaboration between unions and Liberals in the election. With the election law reform, the suffrage of workers and other members of the lower classes has been extended. The liberals recognized the potential of the proletarian voters and declared themselves ready to assist the officials of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain, Alexander MacDonald and Thomas Burt. Both have won a seat in the House of Commons.

Result

Even if the Conservatives won the most seats in the election, but the Liberals received the most votes. For the first time also attracted representatives of the Irish independence movement ( Home Rule ) in the Parliament. So the election of 1874 was also able to establish a three-party system in the House. In the first half of the 19th century, only deputies of the Chartists and the Repeal Association were at times represented in Parliament.

Reception

Friedrich Engels published on March 4, 1874 Volksstaat an extensive analysis of the elections under the title The English elections. Engels gave Gladstone a " choice coup " before, as it had carried out eight to 14 days after the dissolution of parliament elections already, so that was to prepare in the constituencies little time. This in conjunction with an autocratic governance Gladstone, " that struck the established habits of John Bull in the face ", many traditional Liberal voters would have applied against Gladstone. At the union candidates who stood as candidates with the help of the Liberals criticized Engels that they stood closer with their behavior of the bourgeoisie as the workers and thereby the emergence of an independent workers' party as they already exist in most countries of the continent, with disabilities. As a major success as the collection of two workers Engels saw the deputies of the Home Rule movement: "The two moving forces in the English political development are therefore hereby entered the Parliament: on the one hand the workers, on the other hand the Irish national as a compact party. "