TheHouse of Commons is the name for the electedlower house of thebicameralparliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominallyupper house of parliament. The leader of the majority party in the House of Commons by convention becomes theprime minister. Other parliaments have also had a lower house called the "House of Commons".
TheHouse of Commons of the Kingdom of England evolved from an undivided parliament to serve as the voice of the tax-paying subjects of thecounties and theboroughs.Knights of the shire, elected from each county, were usually landowners, while the borough members were often from the merchant classes. These members represented subjects ofthe Crown who were not Lords Temporal or Spiritual, who themselves sat in theHouse of Lords. The House of Commons gained its name because it represented communities (communes).[1]
From theMiddle Ages until the early 20th century the suffrage was limited in various ways, typically to some male property-owners; in 1780 just 3% of the population could vote.[2] Since the 19th century, the British and Canadian Houses of Commons have become increasingly representative (seeReform Acts), assuffrage has been extended. Both bodies are now elected viauniversal adult suffrage.[3][4][5]
