Democracy and Participation | AQA A-Level Politics (7152)

Democracy and Participation

98 questions
8 subtopics
Paper 1: government and politics of the UK
Paper 1

What makes a system democratic, the case for and against deciding things directly, how the franchise was won, and the modern worry about turnout and participation..

It covers democracy, Legitimacy and Direct Democracy, direct and Representative Democracy Compared, the Reform Acts of 1832 to 1884 and the Chartists, suffragists and Suffragettes, who Can Vote Today, and Votes at 16, forms of Political Participation, turnout, Apathy and Proposals for Reform and partisan and Class Dealignment.

Sample questions from Democracy and Participation

Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.

Democracy, Legitimacy and Direct Democracy

Explain why liberal democracy involves more than simply majority rule.

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Liberal democracy also requires limited government, the rule of law, an independent judiciary, a free media and protected rights, so that majorities cannot override minorities.
Direct and Representative Democracy Compared

Which eighteenth-century MP argued that a representative owes constituents his judgement rather than his obedience?

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Edmund Burke, in his address to the electors of Bristol in 1774.
The Reform Acts of 1832 to 1884 and the Chartists

Why is the Great Reform Act described as a limited measure despite its name?

Show the answer
It kept a property qualification and left about four in five adult men and all women without a vote, enfranchising only the propertied middle class while preserving open voting.
Suffragists and Suffragettes

What was the so-called Cat and Mouse Act of 1913 designed to do?

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It let the authorities release hunger-striking prisoners once they became dangerously weak and re-arrest them after they recovered, avoiding deaths in custody and the resulting publicity.
Who Can Vote Today, and Votes at 16

What is unusual about which nationalities may vote in UK general elections?

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Resident Irish citizens and qualifying Commonwealth citizens may vote, which is far more generous than most democracies, while other foreign residents may not.
Forms of Political Participation

Name five forms of political participation other than voting.

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Joining a political party, standing as a candidate, campaigning for a party or cause, joining a pressure group, and signing petitions.
Turnout, Apathy and Proposals for Reform

Describe the age pattern in turnout at UK general elections.

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Turnout rises steadily with age, so voters over 65 are considerably more likely to vote than those aged 18 to 24.
Partisan and Class Dealignment

Give three causes of partisan dealignment.

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The decline of heavy industry and trade union membership, rising education levels that encourage independent judgement, and the convergence of the main parties on the centre ground.

The 8 subtopics

One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.

Subtopic	What it covers	Questions
Democracy, Legitimacy and Direct Democracy	Recall questions on what democracy and legitimacy mean, why liberal democracy is more than majority rule, and direct democracy from ancient Athens to referendums, e-petitions and the recall of MPs.	11
Direct and Representative Democracy Compared	Recall questions on the tyranny of the majority, the practical objections to direct democracy and what representative democracy involves.	19
The Reform Acts of 1832 to 1884 and the Chartists	Recall questions on the franchise before 1832, rotten boroughs, the Reform Acts of 1832, 1867 and 1884 and the Ballot Act, and on the Chartists, their six points and why the movement mattered.	12
Suffragists and Suffragettes	Recall questions on what separated the two movements, the organisations Fawcett and Pankhurst led, and the militant tactics used.	14
Who Can Vote Today, and Votes at 16	Recall questions on the groups disqualified from voting, the arguments over votes at 16 and where in the UK they already apply.	12
Forms of Political Participation	Recall questions on what participation means, the line between conventional and unconventional forms, and the meaning of slacktivism.	8
Turnout, Apathy and Proposals for Reform	Recall questions on the referendum that produced exceptional turnout, the meaning of hapathy, the effect of safe seats and the reforms proposed.	13
Partisan and Class Dealignment	Recall questions on what partisan and class dealignment mean, the evidence for them and their causes, and how dealignment has increased volatility, split-ticket voting, support for minor parties and the importance of campaigns.	9

Democracy and Participation is 98 of the 2,215 questions in the guide.Get the guide, £8

How the guide is worked

Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.

Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.

Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.