Franchise

The Manifesto promised civil liberties, including freedom of conscience, speech, assembly and association. It also promised a wider franchise and an elected State Duma, without whose approval new laws could not take effect.

In the early nineteenth century, the franchise, or right to vote, was restricted. Parliamentary representation also failed to reflect the growth of industrial towns. Some tiny constituencies, known as rotten boroughs, elected MPs, while large places such as Birmingham lacked their own parliamentary representation.

Extending the franchise meant allowing more people to vote. Redistributing seats meant changing which places elected MPs. A rotten borough could retain parliamentary representation despite having very few voters.