HistoryModern India: Framing the Constitution

In countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, which…

In countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, which group was first granted the vote?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 4

The correct answer is Option (4) → Men of property

Option (1) Men with education — Incorrect. Men with education came second. They were let into the charmed circle only after men of property.

Option (2) Men of working-class background — Incorrect. Working-class men got the vote much later, after a long and bitter struggle.

Option (3) Men of peasant background — Incorrect. Men of peasant background, like working-class men, won the vote only after a long struggle.

Option (4) Men of property — Correct. In these countries only men of property were first granted the vote. The vote then widened slowly, in stages.

NCERT (2026-27): “5.2 The fear of domination …
However, on one central feature of the Constitution there was substantial agreement. This was on the granting of the vote to every adult Indian. This was an unprecedented act of faith, for in other democracies the vote had been granted slowly, and in stages. In countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, only men of property were first granted the vote; then, men with education were also allowed into the charmed circle. After a long and bitter struggle, men of working-class or peasant background were also given the right to vote. An even longer struggle was required to grant this right to women.”