Parliament of the United Kingdom/Timelines
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- 1215 Magna Carta[1][2] (1215) - the founding document of the British Constitution.
- 1295 The Model Parliament[3]
- 1429 The Franchise Act [4] - restricted voting in elections to freeholders of land worth more than 40 shillings.
- 1641 Parliament's "Grand Remonstrance"[5] [6] is rejected by the King.
- 1642 Parliament's "Nineteen Propositions"[7] ultimatum is rejected by the King.
- 1649 The Agreement of the People[8] - the demand by the Levellers for rule by a representative assembly elected by universal male suffrage.
- 1688 "The Glorious Revolution" and Bill of Rights [9] - severely limit the power of the king over Parliament.
- 1690 John Locke's Treatise on Government [10] - the people's delegation of power to a sovereign is conditional upon their continued consent,
- 1829 Catholic Emancipation Act [11] enables Catholics to be Members of Parliament.
- 1848 Peoples' Charter [12] - a petition for male suffrage, secret ballots, equal constituencies, no property qualification, payment for MPs, annual elections.
- 1848 Peoples' Charter [13] - a petition for male suffrage, secret ballots, equal constituencies, no property qualification, payment for MPs, annual elections.
- 1903 Women's Social and Political Union[14]- "suffragettes" launch a "votes for women" campaign.
- 1911 Parliament Act 1911[15] - removed from the House of Lords the power to veto a Bill, except one to extend the lifetime of a Parliament. Instead, the Lords could delay a Bill by up to two years. The Act also reduced the maximum lifespan of a Parliament from seven years to five years.
- 1918 Representation of the People Act - gave the vote to men over 21 and women over 30 - increasing the electorate from 8 million to 21 million.
- 1928 Representation of the People Act - gave women the right to vote on the same terms as men.
- 1949 Parliament Act 1949 - further reduced the Lords' delaying powers to one year.
- 1983 Representation of the People Act 1983[16]
- 1998 Devolution[17]
- Scotland Act [18] - set up a Scottish Executive (later "The Government of Scotland") and an independent Scottish Parliament.
- Government of Wales Act[19] - established a National Assembly for Wales.
- Good Friday Agreement[20] - a plan for the devolution of power to Northern Ireland
- Northern Ireland Act[21] sees the installation of a devolved coalition government.
- 2000 Representation of the People Act 200 [22]
- 2010 Fixed Term Parliaments Act - set a fixed 5-year term unless the government loses a vote of confidence or unless a motion for dissolution is carried.