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How far had the Social, Economic and Political Status of the Aristocracy declined by 1918?
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How far had the Social, Economic and Political Status of the Aristocracy declined by 1918? By 1918 the aristocracy had become a devastated, bankrupt and demoralised class. The most important factor for this decline was the loss of political status. The huge increase in the franchise (from 11% of the population before 1832 to 95% (including women) by 1918) was the one most critical aspect responsible for the deterioration of what was the most powerful and revered group of people Britain has ever seen. This single event caused not only loss of political status but also economic and social status, from which the aristocracy could never recover. The political supremacy of the aristocracy was most evident in parliament. The House of Lords provided all the Prime Ministers of the 19th century, for example Lord Russell (1866) and Earl of Derby (1867). The House of Commons was similarly dominated - in the...
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