Authors & Contexts Flashcards
Henry Lucy (1843-1924)
- Journalist, known for his humour and flair
- Wrote the Cross Bench column for the observer from 1880, and Essence of Parliament for Punch 1881
- Wrote “A diary of Two Parliaments”, compiled from his Punch parliamentary sketches
- Writing therefore for a supposedly humorous magazine
- Committed Gladstonian Liberal
- First lobby correspondent to be seen as the social equal of the politicians in the Common
- Knighthood 1909
Samuel Smiles (1812–1904)
Smiles trained as a doctor before becoming a journalist. Active in radical politics, but softened by the violence of chartism. Came to look to individual improvement not structural change as the chief means of social advance.
Book “Self Help”, first published in in 1859, had sold 258,000 copies by 1905- emphasised the importance of the application of good character to the problems of daily life as the key to individual and social improvement.
William Lovett
- Autobiography
- Autodidact- apprenticed rope maker, turned to cabinet making
- Chartist and radical- member of the radical reform association
- Wrote the charter (along with Place)
- leader of metropolitan artisan radicalism - but later estranged from Chartism, became respectable liberal
Thomas Hughes
- ‘Tom Brown’s Schooldays- successful novel published 1857.
- Manliness of Christ (1879)
- Hughes would go on to be a liberal MP 1865-74
William White
- Door keeper HoC after failure of printing business. -Wrote parliamentary sketches for the Illustrated London Times
- Combination of political insider and publisher
Radical Critiques of Aristocratic Masculinity:
Conservative Context
Commentators trying to understand why CON would like to keep Corn Laws - development of concept of unreflecting, uncritical landed squire - doesn’t understand what’s going on; comes back w/ agricultural depression of the 1880s, Third Reform Act. Reform of local government.
Radical Critiques of Aristocratic Masculinity: Reform Bill 1884-5
previous there had been many members of the landed gentry in the Conservative party who received their seats sort of semi-automatically & generally didn’t do an awful lot - Cons representation their interests. Con also managed to present Liberals as anti-gentry - which Liberals didn’t help because of their Irish policy & Ground Game Act of 1880. Enfranchising agricultural labourers > 1885 election bloodbath for Tory gentry.
Radical Critiques of Aristocratic Masculinity: Centrality of Work:
Ben makes a point about how the literature thus far ignores the fact that work was essential to middle-class male identities, and the criticisms of the landed gentry in particular are based in part on the fact they do not work. Unavailable
Radical Critiques of Aristocratic Masculinity: Aristocracy
substantially re-shaped between the 1780s and 1890s - bringing in Irish peers, men dying out - HoL resist some measures in general but not long-term effective in their resistance.
Thomas Wright
Engineer, social commentator, self educated in local mechanics institute, became school board visitor, wrote under the pseudonym ‘The Journeyman Engineer’
Thomas Hughes
Social reformer and children’s writer, went to Rugby, Oxford, lawyer, member of Christian socialist movement, liberal MP 1865-1874
Anti Crimean War
Edward Law, Earl of Ellenborough [9.3]
British Tory politician and notorious arm-chair governor general of India, whole term in office was occupied with war in Asia even though he was there theoretically to restore the peace
Ernest Jones
Major figure in the laters years of the physical force Chartist movement- barrister and gentleman leader
Joseph Chamberlain
Former Birmingham screw manufacturer, self made man and dominant radical in British politics
Miles Taylor quote on class war
If there was a class war, it was fought by the middle class against the aristocracy
Northcote- Trevelyan Report 1854
Suggests that there should be an examination to the civil service, conducted by an independent board, with promotion based on merit [10.3]
William Forster [10.4 and Lucy]
Business apprenticeship, ‘blunt and unsophisticated Yorkshire manufacturer in politics’ - failure to seize the leadership of the Liberal Party in 1875.
Samuel Morley
Involved in ACLL and Administrative Reform Association, champion of nonconformist issues, a member of Liberation Society, a supporter of manhood suffrage.
Legality of duelling [11]
Illegal, but relatively few prosecutions- only evidence for 36 legal proceedings and only 3 convictions for murder
When did duelling decline? [11]
Increased in popularity during Napoleonic Wars, then died down, high 1820s, fall from favour 1830s, last fatal duel 1852.
1871 Treaty of Washington [11.3.4]
British award America $15,500,000 in damages as a result of arbitration about neutrality during the American civil war - conduct of government itself is judged in terms of honour.
Northern Star
Chartist/Radical newspaper owned by Fergus O’Connor [Irish MP forging a career in radical politics.]
Henry James
Liberal MP and anti suffragist extraordinaire.
Bacheclor and mummy’s boy- complicit not dominant form of masculinity. Because of this, he stands to lose more by women gaining to vote: if political participation isn’t innately masculine, he loses his masculinity.
Speaks on the issue of suffrage ALL THE TIME- aligns himself with normative masculinity.
Edward Leathem on women in parliament
Whig-Liberal MP
Women would bring SEX and SEXUALITY into parliament- conceives of parliament as a zone without emotional conflicts of interest or sex.
John Bright
- Birmingham radical MP- father of a book keeper to two cotton spinners, formed a business which John joined.
- Prominent ACLL, joined parliament in 1843.
- Tried to extend the franchise but not for women
- Against the parliamentary attitude to Crimean War- critical of the decision, seen as ‘unEnglish’
- Nervous breakdown 1856
What is the issue with married women voting?
would disrupt Victorian domestic life, cause discord, bring politics into the home, undermine the patriarchy, damage women.
Lydia Becker
One of the leaders of the Manchester based group of Radical suffragists/most important person in the movement until her death in 1890. Tried and failed to amend the third Reform Bill, and to exploit second reform act to include women [women in categories of residence and rate payment] - some women in these categories ended up on the electoral register.
The Dilke Affair
Sir Charles Dilke was a ‘rising star of the radical party’. Accused of seducing Virginia Crawford, the 22 year old wife of Donald Crawford, and sister of his brothers wife- publicly accused of this.
Dilke denies charges and chooses not to give evidence.
DID have an affair with her mother and many other women- afraid these would come out.
Crawford- got divorce, Dilke dismissed [ie. Crawford had committed adultery with Dilke, but he had not with her]
Dilke reopened the case to restore his reputation, badly- very bad witness- repuation shattered, never recovers.
Joseph Parkes
Liberal election agent and activist who became disillusioned with Melbourne ministry and instead put energy into ACLL
Joseph Sturge
Philanthropist and reformer, very active in ACLL.
Tried to build a bridge between Chartists and Anti-Corn Law League by launching Complete Suffrage Union- initiative collapsd.
Quaker and President of Peace Society.
George Combe
Phrenologist who had elaborated a radical, humarist ameliorative reform programme, which he published as best seller ‘the constitution of man’ 1832 - intellectual influene on Cobden
Sir Charles Wood
Whig Liberal, Chancellor of exchequer 1846-52, first lord of the Admiralty 1855, free trader, ‘personified a cautiously progressive liberalism’
John Bright
Quaker, British radical, liberal statesman,
- ACLL,
- free trade
- HoC 1843-1889, -opposed Crimea [lone voice]
- Archetype of the rising middle class businessman,
Crimean War
Critiques of effete aristocratic government came to a head with the Crimean War- a mess, deaths of many, many unnecessarily. Radicals called for more meritocracy/more business like methods rather than aristocratic government mismanagement.
Captain Somerset
Aristocratic who tried to charge a policeman who tried to block his entrance to the Great Exhibition; claimed policeman didn’t speak to him in the correct tone- ten days imprisonment.
What was Chartism?
Working class movement which emerged 1836, most active 1838-48.
Aim was to gain political rights and influence for the working classes- formal petition with six main aims.
Citizenship and Enfranchisement argument summary
How far did debates around parliamentary reform rest on gendered assumption about what made a good voter?
- chartist
- electoral violence
- household suffrage 1867
- enfranchisement agricultural 1884