 There had been calls for reform long before 1832 , but without success . The Act that finally succeeded was proposed by the Whigs , led by Prime Minister Charles Grey , 2nd Earl Grey . It met with significant opposition from the Pittite factions in Parliament , who had long governed the country ; opposition was especially pronounced in the House of Lords . Nevertheless , the bill was eventually passed , mainly as a result of public pressure . The Act granted seats in the House of Commons to large cities that had sprung up during the Industrial Revolution , and removed seats from the " rotten boroughs " : those with very small electorates and usually dominated by a wealthy patron . The Act also increased the electorate from about 500 @,@ 000 to 813 @,@ 000 , with about one in five adult males allowed to vote , from a total population ( including women and children ) of some 14 million ( about 5 @.@ 8 % of the total population - in comparison : in Baden , Germany , it was 17 % at that time , in France 5 % ) . 
