BRITAIN Chartism part 1 Flashcards
How did the government disperse the Bull Ring Chartists?
Sent a police force from London on the recently opened London and Birmingham railway
When was the Newport Rising?
3 November 1839
Where had Chartism secured very strong support?
Industrial areas of South Wales
Who was the Newport Rising organised for in order to campaign for their release from prison?
Henry Vincent, a prominent Welsh Chartist
Who led one of the three separate marches that converged at Newport?
John Frost, a member of the Convention
Where did the Newport marchers surround?
Westgate Hotel
How many people were killed in the Newport Rising?
22
How many people were injured in the Newport Rising?
Over 50
What happened to Frost and two of his associates in the aftermath of the Newport riot?
Found guilty of high treason and sentenced to death- government ensured that the men were sentenced to transportation for life instead of execution to prevent further rioting
When was the first Chartist petition?
June 1839
Who presented the first Chartist petition to parliament?
Thomas Attwood
How many signatures did the first Chartist petition contain?
1,283,000
How many of the signatories of the first of the Chartist petition were women?
1/4
When did the House of Commons vote on the first Chartist petition?
14 July 1839
How was the first Chartist petition received by the House of Commons?
Rejected by 235 votes to 46; fewer than 1/2 of all MPs turned up to vote
When was the National Convention in disarray?
By August 1839
Who had withdrawn their support from the National Convention by August 1839?
BPU, worried by violence at the Bull Ring
When was the National Convention dissolved?
September 1839
When was the second Chartist petition?
1842
Why were the circumstances surrounding the second Chartist petition different to those of the first?
Whig government that had dominated politics in the 1830s were heavily defeated in the 1841 election at hands of Peel’s Conservatives; different economic circumstances
Why were the economic circumstances surrounding the second Chartist petition different to those of the first?
Peel’s entry into office coincided with a period of severe economic depression; widespread unemployment by 1842
How many signatures did the second Chartist petition contain?
3.3 million- 1/3 of adult population
How was the second Chartist petition received by the House of Commons?
Denied a hearing by 287 votes to 49
When were the Plug Plot riots?
1842
Plug Plot riots 1842
Wage reductions in the Yorkshire and Lancashire cotton trades sparked a wave of strikes, which involved workers removing plugs from boilers and bringing a factory to a standstill
How were the Plug Plot riots 1842 received by the Chartist movement?
Not promoted- O’Connor denounced them in the ‘Northern Star’
What ended the violence in the north in response to the rejection of the Chartist petitions?
1842 harvest and fall in unemployment
When was the third Chartist petition?
1848
When did events give new life to the Chartist movement?
1847-48
When was there a general depression that led to a third wave of Chartism?
1847
What worried many Chartists in 1847?
Whig victory in the election
When was O’Connor elected as the MP for Nottingham?
1847
When did a wave of revolutionary activity sweep across Europe?
Early 1848
When did the French monarchy fall?
February 1848
How many people turned up to the Kennington Common meeting?
Only 25,000
When was the Kennington Common meeting?
10 April 1848
What made the Kennington Common meeting different from the mass meetings of 1838-9?
Very few women attended
How many signatures did O’Connor claim that the third Chartist petition had?
5.5 million
Why did the House of Commons refuse to consider the third Chartist petition?
Fewer than 2 million genuine signatures
When did a meeting in London post-third petition attract a crowd of 60,000?
May 1848
When did it become clear that Chartism no longer attracted a strong allegiance among working people?
Early 1849
What ruined O’Connor?
1848 petition
When was the final Chartist Convention convened?
1858
After the final Chartist Convention, who took over putting the pressure on parliament for reform?
Middle-class radicals such as John Bright
When was O’Connor imprisoned?
1840
National Charter Association (NCA)
National body supported by a membership that paid a quarterly subscription; gave central direction to Chartism for the rest of the decade
How many people joined the NCA?
70,000
What have many historians suggested that the NCA was?
First national party of the working class
Who led the NCA?
Feargus O’Connor
Other than O’Connor’s attitude, what did many Chartist leaders find difficult to handle with him?
His uncompromising manner
When was O’Connor released from prison?
August 1841
What did Lovett focus his time in jail on, as well as the People’s Charter?
Educational initiatives
What did Lovett form after his release from prison?
National Association Promoting the Political and Social Improvement of the People- ‘Knowledge Chartism’
When was Lovett released from prison?
1840
Why did O’Connor denounce Lovett’s new pursuit?
He felt it would distract Chartism from its central focus of the People’s Charter
When did Lovett’s National Association fade into insignificance?
Late 1850s
When was Peel in office?
1841-46
What did Peel’s government not do that their Whig predecessors had?
Pass any legislation that aroused Chartist anger
Which of Peel’s policies were broadly welcomed?
Reduced duties on imported corn and other goods
What legislation did Peel’s Tory government introduce to tackle social issues?
Mines Act 1842; Factory Act 1844
How did Peel feel about Chartism?
He was as opposed to it as his predecessors
How did O’Connor decide to reunite Chartism and rekindle its radical enthusiasm?
Chartist Land Plan
Where did O’Connor reveal his Chartist Land Plan?
Convention of 1845
How many families were settled under the Chartist Land Plan?
Only 250
Why did Chartism fail to achieve its aims by 1850?
A divided working class; Chartism and the trade unions; a changing economy
Why did the trade unions abandon the Chartist movement?
Proposal of a ‘sacred month’ in 1839
When did the National Charter Association try to forge more lasting links with the unions?
Early 1840s
When was the National Association of United Trades launched?
1845
What did O’Connor change the name of his newspaper to in order to try to form an alliance with the trade union movement?
‘Northern Star and the National Trades’
What did Chartism do for working-class radicalism?
Breathed new life into it
When was payment of MPs introduced?
1912
When was support for Chartism in its height?
1838-39
How many copies of the ‘Northern Star’ were sold in 1845?
Fewer than 6,000
Which towns in particular had a vigorous Chartist presence?
Ashton-Under-Lyne; Stockport
Where did Chartism make the least impact?
Essex and Suffolk provided less than 1% of its strength; Ireland
Who was infamous for his sermons that denounced Chartist leaders as irreligious?
Bishop of Norwich
Why did Chartism never manage to get a foothold in London?
Its sheer size
Where did Chartism enjoy strong support?
Expanding industrial areas of the Midlands and the north; industrial areas in Scotland; Wales
Why was there some increase in Chartist activity in the 1840s?
Fluctuations in the economy; well-organised activities of the National Charter Association
How were women involved in the Chartist movement?
Fundraising activities; running Chartist Sunday Schools; sewing banners; organising tea parties; ‘exclusive deals’
How many female Chartist organisations were there?
100- but women were never considered for roles in the national movement
Which organisations were women drawn to after they withdrew from Chartism?
Religious and teetotal groups
What was the attitude of most men towards female Chartists?
Women should limit themselves to supporting their husbands and families and should not engage in political activities
Anti-Corn Law League
Formed in Manchester in 1838, with strong financial support from a number of rich industrialists- it claimed that the repeal of the Corn Laws would benefit agricultural interest
Which organisations were alliances proposed with in order to expand Chartist support in the early 1840s?
ACLL; Complete Suffrage Union
What was Peel in 1829?
Home Secretary
Rural Police Act 1839
Empowered authorities in counties and boroughs to raise their own police forces, which were paid for by a local rate
When was the electric telegraph developed?
1840s
When did the electric telegraph prove to be invaluable?
1848
When did the Whig government take strong action against the Chartists?
After 1839 petition and Newport Rising 1839-40
When was the failure of the Irish potato crop?
1845
When did Napier let go of the command of the Northern District?
1841- took command of a body of troops in India
Major General Napier
Displayed an active sympathy for the poor for many years; his sensible command prevented a second Peterloo
When was Napier appointed to command 4000 troops in the Northern district?
April 1839
What was Napier’s strategy?
Divided his force into 3 large detachments, positioned around the north and close to major industrial centres; refused to take provocative measures
What eased Napier’s fears about possible violence?
Kersal Moor meeting, May 1839
When was the first passenger railway in England opened?
1830
When were the two waves of railway mania and what did they lead to?
1836-38 and 1844-46; creation of a substantial network, covering over 5,000 miles by 1850
When was the London and Birmingham Railway opened?
1838
What was the Elizabethan Poor Law 1601?
Allowed the poor to remain in their own homes and claim assistance in the form of outdoor relief
How many people attended the Kersal Moor meeting in may 1839?
20,000 men; 10,000 women and children
