1800-2000 reforms and rights (PP) Flashcards
What were elections like in the early 1800s?
- very few people could vote
- no secret ballot
- MPs weren’t paid
- there were rotten boroughs
When was the peterloo massacre?
1819
What was the peterloo massacre?
- a meeting in Manchester which attracted 60,000 to hear a radical speaker, call for reform in parliament
- people in the crowd had banners demanding reform, universal suffrage and equal electoral districts as part of a peaceful protest
- the magistrates panicked and sent in military
- the government later passed six acts restricting public meetings to 50 people and restricted what journalists could say
When was the Great reform act?
1832
What was the Great reform act?
- in 1830, Thomas Atwood organised a petition calling for reform, it was signed by 8000 people
- Britain’s new king was keener on reform
- the Whig government introduced a reform act, the king helped force it through
- the act redistributed MPs so that industrial towns were represented, it gave factory owners and merchants the vote
- 56 boroughs disfranchised
- 67 new constituencies created
When was the people’s chapter published?
1838
What did the Chartists want?
- a vote for all men over 21
- a secret ballot
- equal electoral districts
- no property qualification to become an MP
- payment for MPs
- annual parliaments
What ways did Chartists spread their ideas?
- sympathetic MPs helped raise the issue to parliament
- huge meetings were held
- anti- corn law league meetings were hijacked
- northern star newspaper widely distributed
- they made three petitions to parliament gaining 5 million signatures not 1848
Short term significance of the Chartists?
- all their petitions were rejected by parliament
- split in Chartists and government sent 102 people to Australia
- didn’t achieve any of their aims
- showed an increase in demand for change
Long term significance of the Chartists?
- within the next 50 years 5/6 of their aims were met
* Chartism was a political education for the working class which helped give them s voice later in
When were the corn laws passed?
1815
What were the corn laws?
•a law taxing people on buying corn from other countries in order to keep price farmers received for their corn high
Who did the corn laws benefit?
•land owners (farmers)
How did the corn laws have an affect on workers?
•bread cost too much, so wages had to increase and led to unemployment
How did the anti corn law league organise itself to gain support?
- used pamphlets
- meetings
- petitions
- Richard Cobden and John bright became MPs and won the support of the prime minister
When was the anti corn law league set up?
1833
Short term significance of anti corn law league?
- they had the laws repealed
* first time the government acted in the interests of the poor over the gentry
Long term significance of the anti corn law league?
•other groups copied their methods as they were successful
When was slavery abolished
1833
What actions were taken to abolish slavery?
- William wilberforce, a charismatic speaker introduced the topic in the House of Commons
- in 1787 they gained a petition with 10,000 names producing publicity
- the committee spoke to slaves
- people refused to buy slavery grown sugar forcing businesses to shut down
- in 1807 a bill to abolish slavery gained s majority in Parliament and became law
What did slaves do to get the slave trade abolished?
•they rebelled such as in St Dominique in 1804 where they threatened the lives of the plantation owners
Who led the movement for factory reform?
Lord Shaftesbury
What did individual industrialists do to improve their working conditions?
- Robert Owen- introduced the eight hour day and opened a school for his workers
- Titus Salt- built a whole town for his workers, it included bathhouses, a hospital and a church
- George Cadbury- created a model town, he had pensions, workers’ committees and a workers’ welfare scheme
What did lord Shaftesbury do?
- he introduced s 10 hour bill for children under nine
- he became president of the Ragged School Unions in 1944, these were free schools
- he made the mines act banning women and children from working in mines
What methods did workers use to improve living conditions?
- friendly societies- every member contributed each week then drew out money if they hit hard times
- trade societies- specialist craftsmen organised themselves into trade societies to control quality and maintain prices
- violence- some weavers destroyed machines that they feared had taken their jobs, these were called Luddites
- trade unions- set up to protect each other’s interests
Who were the tolpuddle martyrs?
- 6 agricultural labourers who met to form their own trade union as their wages had been cut
- they got their members to sign a secret oath of loyalty which was illegal
- they were sent to Australia for 7 years for breaking the oath of allegiance act
- in 1834 200,000 people marched to parliament carrying a petition with 800,000 names demanding the tolpuddle martyrs be released
When were the tolpuddle martyrs set up?
1834
When was the match girls strike?
1888
What did the match girls want?
- higher wage
* better working conditions
When was the London dockworkers’ strike?
1889
What did the the London dockworkers achieve?
- docker’s tanner to be paid 6d an hour
- overtime to be paid at 8d an hour
- minimum employment to be 4 hours
When was the Labour Party set up and why?
- 1893
* to deliver the workers demands
When was the general strike?
1926
Causes of general strike?
- other countries were expanding si Britain faced greater competition in traditional industries
- Germany paid much of its reparations of the war in coal so the price dropped
- the coal mine owners wanted to drop wages by 13% and increase hours from 7 to 8
What was the government response to the strike?
- volunteers were recruited to drive buses and trains
- the army were used to unload food in dicks and escort supplies
- the government used the emergency power act of 1920
- it used bbc radio to persuade workers to return
How many liners went on strike in 1926?
800,000
How did the general strike of -926 develop?
- it began peacefully
- gradually it became violent between strikers and police
- the striking miners derailed the flying Scotsman train
- the TUC ordered s return to work and workers were forced to accept cuts
- trouble makers were blacklisted and couldn’t find jobs
- employers now felt in control of the workers
How did Margret thatcher prepare for the miners strike?
- by stockpiling coal at power stations
* power stations converted to gas or oil
What did the government announce in 1984?
•unproductive mines would be closed
How did Arthur scargill react to this announcement?
- he opposed it
* he pulled all his miners out on strike
What was the result of the miners strike in 1984-85
- nothing was gained for the workers
* the lines were closed one by one
What was the 1962 commonwealth immigrants act?
- it limited immigration
* as there had been an increase in racism in the uk
What did the 1962 commonwealth immigrants act actually do?
- it increased immigration as working men were worried if they left to visit their families they wouldn’t be allowed back
- instead they invited their families over
What acts were introduced to combat racism and immigration?
- 1962 commonwealth immigrants act
- 1965 Race Relations board set up
- 1968 Race Relations act
- 1971 Immigration act
- 1976 Council for Racial Equality set up
- 2000 Race Relations act
- 2010 Equality act
When was the Brixton riots?
1981
Causes for Brixton riots?
- relations between police and black community were bad
- a house fire where 5 black teens were killed was incorrectly labelled as a racist attack
- Brixton had one of the highest crime rates so stop and searches were used especially on blacks
- many blacks felt unfairly targeted
Order of events in Brixton riots
- a black man with stab wounds was seen running from a gang by a policeman
- the policeman called an ambulance but instead took him in a police car so it would be quicker
- untrue rumours spread that he had been arrested and beaten by police
- next morning a car a was stopped and searched and the man retaliated and a riot kicked off
- 1,000 police officers were sent, 150 buildings were damaged and 82 arrests were made
What was the government response to the Brixton riots?
- the government set up an inquiry and placed much of the blame on the Metropolitan police being racist
- new code of behaviour for police was established
- there were further riots in 85 and 95 showing little had changed
What was the ladies of langham place?
- made up of mostly wealthy women
- sobers 1850s has 1860s trying to improve status for women before focussing in the vote from 1866 onwards
- they tried to provide single issue campaigns for higher education, against child prostitution and rights for married women
What was the NUWSS?
- focussed entirely on gaining the vote formed in 1867
- speakers toured the country, produced leaflets and pamphlets and regular newspapers were made
- limited as they didn’t support one specific party so no party helped them
What were peaceful methods used to get suffrage?
- NUWSS used marches, meetings and petitions
* made slow progress
What were violent methods used to gain suffrage?
- WSPU known as suffragettes smashed windows, heckled at meetings, chained themselves to railings, set fire to postboxes
- Emily Davison threw herself in front of the kings horse
- they used these tactics to gain attention
Opposition to the suffrage?
- people believed in seperate spheres
- women too emotional to vote
- they didn’t fight in the war so shouldn’t vote
- some were worried because there were more women, they would have the majority
- some said they didn’t acc want the vote just a few middle classes women
How did war help women’s suffrage?
- provides women with jobs that they never before had such as working in factories
- in 1918 all women over 30 were given the vote
- in 1928 all women over 21 were given the vote
How did women get equal pay?
- in 1968 187 women went on strike at the ford factory in Dagenham due to receiving only 85% if what men earnt
- they brought ford production to a standstill for 3 weeks before negotiating to receive 92% of what men earnt
- in 1975 the equal pay act was passed
