Compare and contrast the impact of the 1832 and 1867 Reform Acts.

The question requires that candidates give an account of the similarities and differences in impact that the two Reform Acts had on Britain and Ireland. They may focus on any number of effects, for example the impact on political parties, the size of the franchise and/or any consequential effects. Similarities may include increasing the size of the electorate, and the retention of an income-based franchise qualification. Both acts failed to redistribute constituencies to reflect population density and both acts failed to reduce the influence of landowners in rural areas. Contrasts may include comments on the nature of the electorate following the Acts. After 1832, the electorate remained largely middle class, with both agricultural and urban workers remaining disenfranchised, whereas post-1867, some of the male urban working class gained the vote. The 1867 Act reduced the use of influence in elections because of the increased size of the electorate in urban areas. Arguably, the 1867 Act was a much greater extension of democracy ("a leap in the dark") than the Great Reform Act of 1832.