Editing Reform Act 1832 (section)

===Limitations===
The property qualifications of the Reform Act were substantial at the time and barred most of the working class from the vote. This created division between the working class and the middle class and led to the growth of the [[Chartism|Chartist Movement]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Chartist Movement |url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/electionsvoting/chartists/overview/chartistmovement/ |access-date=22 July 2022 |website=UK Parliament}}</ref>

Although it did disenfranchise most [[rotten borough]]s, a few remained, such as [[Totnes (UK Parliament constituency)|Totnes]] in Devon and [[Midhurst (UK Parliament constituency)|Midhurst]] in Sussex. Also, bribery of voters remained a problem. As Sir [[Thomas Erskine May]] observed, "it was too soon evident, that as more votes had been created, more votes were to be sold".<ref>{{cite book|author=May|title=The Constitutional History of England|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YxYYAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA253|year=1895|page=253}}</ref>

The Reform Act strengthened the House of Commons by reducing the number of nomination boroughs controlled by peers.  Some aristocrats complained that, in the future, the government could compel them to pass any bill, simply by threatening to swamp the House of Lords with new peerages. The Duke of Wellington lamented: "If such projects can be carried into execution by a minister of the Crown with impunity, there is no doubt that the constitution of this House, and of this country, is at an end.... [T]here is absolutely an end put to the power and objects of deliberation in this House, and an end to all just and proper means of decision."<ref>Quoted in {{cite book|author=May|title=The Constitutional History of England|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YxYYAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA253|year=1895|page=253}}</ref>  The subsequent history of Parliament, however, shows that the influence of the Lords was largely undiminished. They compelled the Commons to accept significant amendments to the [[Municipal Corporations Act 1835|Municipal Reform Bill]] in 1835, forced compromises on [[Emancipation of the Jews in England|Jewish emancipation]], and successfully resisted several other bills supported by the public.<ref>May (1896), vol. I, pp. 316–317.</ref> It would not be until decades later, culminating in the [[Parliament Act 1911]], that Wellington's fears would come to pass.