1868 United Kingdom general election

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The 1868 United Kingdom general election was held between 17 November to 7 December 1868 to elect members of the House of Commons. The Liberal Party, under William Ewart Gladstone, took a majority of seats and defeated the governing Conservative minority government, led by Benjamin Disraeli. This was the first general election to be held after the passage of the Reform Act 1867, which enfranchised many male householders, thus greatly increasing the number of men who could vote in United Kingdom elections. It was the first election held in the United Kingdom in which more than a million votes were cast; nearly triple the number of votes were cast compared to the previous election in 1865. The establishment of the Church of Ireland was a dominant issue in the 1868 general election. Earlier that year, the House of Lords blocked the Established Church (Ireland) Bill, which would have imposed restrictions on the Irish Church. Gladstone's Liberal government, which favored disestablishment, used...

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