AQA · A-Level · History

    Course version: 7042 · Version from Sept 2017

    Britain, c1783–1885 – Economy, society and politics, 1846–1885 (A-level…

    Full specification wording

    1F Industrialisation and the people: Britain, c1783–1885 – Economy, society and politics, 1846–1885 (A-level only): Government and democracy: Gladstone, his ministries and ideas and policies; Disraeli, his ministries, ideas and policies; increasing democracy; legislation

    The rivalry between William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli defined late 19th-century British government, driving significant legislative reform and increasing democracy.

    Checked against the AQA 7042 specification (opens in a new tab) on .

    • Point 2 of 6
    • 4 key terms

    Study notes

    From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    The idea

    The rivalry between William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli defined late 19th-century British government, driving significant legislative reform and increasing democracy. Gladstone’s Liberal ministries (e.g., 1868–1874) focused on 'Peace, Retrenchment and Reform', introducing meritocratic legislation like the 1870 Education Act and the 1872 Secret Ballot Act. Conversely, Disraeli’s Conservative ministry (1874–1880) championed 'Tory Democracy' and One Nation paternalism, passing social legislation such as the 1875 Public Health Act and the Artisans' Dwellings Act. Both leaders responded to the pressure for increasing democracy, notably through the 1867 Second Reform Act, fundamentally altering the political landscape by enfranchising the urban working class.

    What earns the marks

    • Compare Gladstone's ideology of Gladstonian Liberalism with Disraeli's One Nation Conservatism.
    • Evaluate the impact of specific Gladstonian legislation, such as the 1870 Forster's Education Act and the 1872 Secret Ballot Act, on increasing democracy.
    • Assess the effectiveness of Disraeli's social legislation, including the 1875 Public Health Act and the Employers and Workmen Act, in improving working-class conditions.
    • Analyse the role of both leaders in the passage of the 1867 Reform Act and its significance in expanding the franchise and increasing democracy.

    Common mistakes and how to put them right

    • Attributing the 1867 Reform Act solely to Gladstone.

      Put it right: Explicitly state that Disraeli and the Conservative government passed the 1867 Reform Act, despite Gladstone's earlier failed bill.

    • Claiming Disraeli's social reforms were purely altruistic.

      Put it right: Analyse the pragmatic political motives behind 'Tory Democracy' to win the newly enfranchised working-class vote.

    • Confusing the timelines of their ministries.

      Put it right: Clearly distinguish Gladstone's first ministry (1868–1874) from Disraeli's second ministry (1874–1880) when discussing specific legislation.

    Exam tips

    • Create a comparative table of Gladstone's and Disraeli's key legislation to quickly recall specific acts during an exam.
    • Always link the specific policies of Gladstone and Disraeli back to their core political ideas, such as retrenchment or paternalism.
    • When discussing 'increasing democracy', look beyond the franchise extensions to include acts that removed corruption, such as the Secret Ballot Act.

    Try the lesson

    The start of the 1F Industrialisation and the people: Britain, c1783–1885 – Economy, society and politics, 1846–1885 (A-level only): Government and democracy: Gladstone, his ministries and ideas and policies; Disraeli, his ministries, ideas and policies; increasing democracy; legislation lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    Have a go first

    Which piece of legislation, passed during William Gladstone's first ministry, introduced the secret ballot for local and general elections?

    Listen

    The rivalry between William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli defined late 19th-century British government, driving significant legislative reform and increasing democracy. Gladstone’s Liberal ministries (e.g., 1868–1874) focused on 'Peace, Retrenchment and Reform', introducing meritocratic legislation like the 1870 Education Act and the 1872 Secret Ballot Act. Conversely, Disraeli’s Conservative ministry (1874–1880) championed 'Tory Democracy' and One Nation paternalism, passing social legislation such as the 1875 Public Health Act and the Artisans' Dwellings Act. Both leaders responded to the pressure for increasing democracy, notably through the 1867 Second Reform Act, fundamentally altering the political landscape by enfranchising the urban working class. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Compare Gladstone's ideology of Gladstonian Liberalism with Disraeli's One Nation Conservatism. Evaluate the impact of specific Gladstonian legislation, such as the 1870 Forster's Education Act and the 1872 Secret Ballot Act, on increasing democracy. Assess the effectiveness of Disraeli's social legislation, including the 1875 Public Health Act and the Employers and Workmen Act, in improving working-class conditions. Analyse the role of both leaders in the passage of the 1867 Reform Act and its significance in expanding the franchise and increasing democracy. A common slip: Attributing the 1867 Reform Act solely to Gladstone. Instead, explicitly state that Disraeli and the Conservative government passed the 1867 Reform Act, despite Gladstone's earlier failed bill. Exam tip: Create a comparative table of Gladstone's and Disraeli's key legislation to quickly recall specific acts during an exam.

    See it

    A top-down flowchart. On the left, a node for Gladstone's Gladstonian Liberalism leads to a node for Gladstone's ministries, e.g. 1868–1874, which branches into three nodes: Peace, Retrenchment and Reform; the 1870 Education Act; and the 1872 Secret Ballot Act. On the right, a node for Disraeli's One Nation Conservatism leads to a node for Disraeli's ministry, 1874–1880, which branches into three nodes: Tory Democracy and One Nation paternalism; the 1875 Public Health Act; and the Artisans' Dwellings Act. At the bottom, a node for pressure for increasing democracy leads to the 1867 Second Reform Act, which leads to enfranchising the urban working class.
    It shows how Gladstone's and Disraeli's ideas fed into their ministries and legislation, and how pressure for increasing democracy led to the 1867 Second Reform Act.

    Put the events in order

    Put these events in the order they happened, earliest first.

    1. 1. Forster's Education Act introduced meritocratic legislation
    2. 2. Secret Ballot Act removed corruption in elections
    3. 3. Disraeli's Conservative ministry championed Tory Democracy
    4. 4. Gladstone's first Liberal ministry began
    5. 5. Second Reform Act enfranchised the urban working class
    6. 6. Public Health Act passed as social legislation

    Key words

    Say what each word means before you turn the card.

    Gladstonian Liberalism

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    One Nation Conservatism

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    increasing democracy

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    legislative reform

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    See every definition
    Gladstonian Liberalism
    Gladstone's Liberal ministries focused on 'Peace, Retrenchment and Reform', introducing meritocratic legislation like the 1870 Education Act and the 1872 Secret Ballot Act.
    One Nation Conservatism
    Disraeli's Conservative ministry championed 'Tory Democracy' and One Nation paternalism, passing social legislation such as the 1875 Public Health Act and the Artisans' Dwellings Act.
    increasing democracy
    Both leaders responded to the pressure for increasing democracy, notably through the 1867 Second Reform Act, which enfranchised the urban working class.
    legislative reform
    The rivalry between Gladstone and Disraeli defined late 19th-century British government, driving significant legislative reform and increasing democracy.

    Label the diagram

    Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.

    The diagram again, with 3 boxes numbered instead of named. A top-down flowchart. On the left, a node for Gladstone's Gladstonian Liberalism leads to a node for Gladstone's ministries, e.g. 1868–1874, which branches into three nodes: Peace, Retrenchment and Reform; the 1870 Education Act; and the 1872 Secret Ballot Act. On the right, a node for Disraeli's One Nation Conservatism leads to a node for Disraeli's ministry, 1874–1880, which branches into three nodes: Tory Democracy and One Nation paternalism; the 1875 Public Health Act; and the Artisans' Dwellings Act. At the bottom, a node for pressure for increasing democracy leads to the 1867 Second Reform Act, which leads to enfranchising the urban working class.

    • 1Box 1

    • 2Box 2

    • 3Box 3

    0 of 3 labelled

    There is more to this lesson

    The full lesson goes on to check your understanding and help you earn the marks. Create a free account to carry on, with your progress saved.

    Carry on with the full lesson

    A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge

    Test your understanding of 1F Industrialisation and the people: Britain, c1783–1885 – Economy, society and politics, 1846–1885 (A-level only): Government and democracy: Gladstone, his ministries and ideas and policies; Disraeli, his ministries, ideas and policies; increasing democracy; legislation

    Active recall beats re-reading. Take an instant quiz now to test what you’ve learned and lock it into long-term memory.

    Take topic quiz

    A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge

    Start free

    Cookies on MasteryMind

    Essential cookies keep you signed in.

    Analytics and advertising cookies stay off unless you accept.

    Read our Privacy Policy.