The Industrial Revolution brought great material progress. It also condemned masses of people to wretched poverty. In Britain, France, and the United States, reformers struggled for an extension of democratic rights and social change. Although many inequalities persisted, their efforts paved the way for great improvements in the quality of life.
Throughout the 1800s, political reform gradually expanded suffrage and made Parliament more democratic.
Parliament passed a wide variety of reform measures, but women's suffrage and the status of Ireland remained difficult issues.
Democratic reforms in France took place under the Second Empire of Napoleon III and its successor, the Third Republic.
In the United States, the 1800s were a time of changing borders, growing industry, and expanding democracy.