The Rise of Majority Rule in Early Modern Britain and Its Empire

The emergence of majority voting as a global standard for decision-making in popular assemblies is traced back to the elected assemblies of early modern Britain and its empire, making it overwhelmingly likely that the United Kingdom, the United States, and their former dependencies would become and remain fundamentally majoritarian polities.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 293 pages
Publication date: 16 February 2023
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

This extensive historical account delves into the origins of majority rule in modern representative government, tracing the emergence of majority voting as a global standard for decision-making in popular assemblies. While majority votes had been observed in the past, their frequent occurrence in a popular assembly responsible for a nation's destiny had not been witnessed since antiquity. The pivotal moment in the global triumph of majority rule occurred when elected assemblies in early modern Britain and its empire embraced it. William J. Bulman meticulously examines the sudden emergence of majority voting in the English House of Commons and its subsequent adoption by the elected assemblies of Britain's Atlantic colonies during the age of the English, Glorious, and American Revolutions. These events significantly increased the likelihood that the United Kingdom, the United States, and their former dependencies would evolve into and remain fundamentally majoritarian polities. By offering insightful commentary on the current state of democratic governance, this study sheds light on the nature, potential, and challenges of majority rule.

ISBN-13: 9781108829205