> While Parliament had a restricted franchise (as did the USA until the 20th century) it was an elected body with full powers. Indeed—one of the key factors fo

> While Parliament had a restricted franchise (as did the USA until the 20th century) it was an elected body with full powers. Indeed—one of the key factors for the US war for independence was that rich Americans wanted to expand the franchise to all rich men, not just rich men who happened to be born to the correct parents. They wanted to do this only in the colonies, but that likely would have emboldened reformers in Britain proper, too ("why should those colonists get more of a say in government than we do?"). This would have threatened the power of the British nobility, so of course war and (ultimately) losing the 13 colonies was chosen instead.