From monarchical absolutism to popular representation and universal suffrage in England

Abstract

In the context of social problems of finding effective tools for representative institutions and organizing elections approved by the population, the formation of institution of popular representation and universal suffrage is considered. The purpose is to study the peculiar features of these processes characteristic of England, on the basis of which the formation of individual elements of the universal suffrage system in the state is illustrated. In connection with the stated guidelines, the objectives of the work determined the study of the problems and features of the formation of these institutions and the characteristics of doctrinal approaches to the issues under consideration by domestic philosophers, historians, jurists and political scientists; the formation of final conclusions of work, where we indicate the opinion that the system that developed by the end of the 19th century in England took another step towards universal suffrage, coming almost close to it. We substantiate the presence in the scientific doctrine of a high degree of problem development of the formation of the institution of popular representation and universal suffrage. On the basis of formal-logical and historical research methods, the opinion of pre-revolutionary, Soviet and modern scientists, theorists and specialists of branch legal directions to the origin and development of the English popular representation and the institute of universal suffrage in the corresponding existence period of the state and law, as well as the scientific views expressed by them, is analyzed. The presence of a direct relationship between the establishment of the institution of popular representation and the institution of universal suffrage is revealed and proved. In summing up the results of the study, we point out the long path of English democratic institutions formation, the peculiarities of its formation due to the predominance of the strong state power of the crown throughout the historical development. We conclude that by the end of the 19th century in England there was a persistent public demand for the transition to universal and equal suffrage, where one legally specified voter had one vote in the elections, although the reactionary mass of patriarchal society was able to slow down its implementation.