Glossary · Term

Universal suffrage

Also known as universal male suffrage

Universal suffrage is the right of all adult citizens to vote, regardless of property, class or, in its full form, sex. The German Empire introduced universal male suffrage for elections to the Reichstag in 1871. Accounts of the German Empire note, however, that real power remained concentrated in the emperor and the chancellor, limiting the democratic effect of this broad franchise.

Mentioned in 6 profiles

Austro-Hungarian EmpireGovernanceGerman EmpireGovernanceAndorraDeclineKingdom of BelgiumGovernanceKingdom of GreeceGovernanceKingdom of the NetherlandsGovernance, Summary

Mentioned in 6 state histories

Colony of JamaicaRepublic of New GranadaFrench Second RepublicNorth German ConfederationSexenio DemocráticoColony of Trinidad and Tobago

Great speeches

Emmeline Pankhurst: Freedom or Death13 November 1913

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Universal suffrage. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/universal-suffrage
MLA
“Universal suffrage.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/universal-suffrage. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Universal suffrage.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/universal-suffrage.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Universal suffrage’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/universal-suffrage (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻