BRITAIN Chartism part 2 Flashcards
When was there a brief revival of working-class radicalism?
During reform struggle of 1830-32, but working people were disillusioned by its outcome
Which three groups came together to create a national petition in support of the Six Points of the People’s Charter?
LMWA; BPU; GNU
When did three groups come together to create a national petition in support of the Six Points of the People’s Charter?
1838
Who drew up the Six Points of the People’s Charter?
William Lovett
When was support for the Chartist movement very popular?
In times of economic hardship and high unemployment
Who did Chartism never succeed in drawing to its ranks?
Highly skilled workers; farm workers in rural counties
Why was it a surprise that many women supported Chartism?
It would not embrace female suffrage
When were women most active in the Chartist movement?
In the early years, especially in activities such as supporting imprisoned Chartists and their families
When did the number of women supporting the Chartist movement decline?
Early 1840s
Why had many middle-class supporters left Chartism by 1839?
Alienated by the threatening language of a number of its speakers
What is an important reason for the failure of Chartism?
Determination of Whig and Tory governments to resist radical demands and oppose Chartist violence by any means at their disposal
When was the Metropolitan Police in London founded?
1829
What were the Six Points of the People’s Charter?
Universal male suffrage; secret ballot; constituencies of equal size; abolition of property qualifications for MPs; annual parliaments; payment of MPs
When were the Six Points of the People’s Charter approved?
August 1838
Where were the Six Points of the People’s Charter approved?
At a meeting of leading radicals in Birmingham
When was working-class interest in reform revived?
Late 1820s
What pushed many working people towards radical politics after 1832?
Disillusion with the Reform Act; Whig government
When were there trade depressions that contributed to the interest in Chartism?
1839; 1842; 1848
How did the Chartists feel about many of the policies carried out by the Whigs post-1832?
Strongly opposed to them
Why did the Chartists feel as if the Whigs didn’t support them?
Attacks on issues such as the rights of trade unions; failure to provide effective reform of factory conditions
When was the Irish Coercion Act?
1833
What had freed Irish Catholics from most of their civil disabilities?
Catholic Relief Act 1829
Irish Coercion Act 1833
One of most repressive pieces of Irish legislation of the 19th century- Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was given wide powers to suppress any public meetings; arbitrary arrest became commonplace; offenders were to be tried by court martial rather than in the civil courts
How did radicals feel about the Irish Coercion Act 1833?
Shocked radicals throughout Britain- they feared that if Whigs were prepared to act so harshly in Ireland, they might impose similar restrictions on British radicalism
What led to the re-establishment of many trade unions?
Repeal of the Combination Acts 1824
When was the government’s determination to limit the power of trade unions confirmed?
Glasgow weavers’ strike of 1837, which led to 18 leaders of the Spinners’ Union being tried on various charges and sentenced to 7 years transportation
When was the war of the unstamped?
1831-36
When had newspapers been taxed since?
1712
Why had newspapers always been taxed?
To restrict their circulation and keep them out of the hands of ordinary people
When had Britain imposed stamp duties on the American colonies?
1765
What had the imposition of stamp duties on the American colonies contributed to?
American Revolution of 1775
Who founded ‘The Poor Man’s Guardian’?
Henry Hetherington
When was ‘The Poor Man’s Guardian’ founded?
1831
The Poor Man’s Guardian
Unstamped newspaper sold for one penny; had a weekly circulation of 220,000 copies within 2 years
What did the government reduce the stamp tax on newspapers to originally?
One penny
Why did the government reduce and eventually abolish the stamp tax on newspapers?
Sustained pressure from Henry Hetherington and other radicals
When did the government abolish the stamp tax on newspapers?
1836
How did the war of the unstamped embolden those hoping for political reform?
Revealed that a co-ordinated campaign of extra-parliamentary pressure could force a change in government policies
Who specifically was inspired by the war of the unstamped?
William Lovett
What did Hetherington help to draw up?
People’s Charter
What did Sir Robert Peel sponsor in the early 1820s?
Measures to limit the hours children under 16 could work in cotton factories- but without a system of regular inspections they were largely ignored
When was the slave trade abolished?
1807
When was slavery abolished in Britain?
1833
Factory Act 1833
Factory owners could not employ children under the age of 9; those aged 9-18 could work for a maximum of 12 hours; child workers were to be given some education; 4 inspectors appointed to enforce the Act
Why did the Whigs primarily introduce the Factory Act 1833?
Weaken appeal of Ten Hours movement
Ten Hour movement
Short Time Committees in 1830 in Yorkshire and Lancashire campaigned for a ten-hour day for all factory workers
Why were the Short Time Committees disappointed by the Factory Act 1833?
They had hoped that legislation would be introduced to regulate adult employment
Which measure passed by the Whigs in the 1830s produced the most sustained opposition and resistance?
Poor Law Amendment 1834
Where did the Poor Law Amendment 1834 meet the most resistance?
Northern towns
What was provision for poor relief governed by until 1834?
Elizabethan Poor Law 1601
Why did the government amend the old Poor Law?
Population had more than doubled since 1601; several areas of the country had been transformed by industrialisation; old Poor law very expensive; frequent calls for reform from middle-class ratepayers
What did the Poor Law Amendment 1834 introduce?
A new principle of poor relief, that of ‘less eligibility’; workhouses
When was the Poor Law Amendment 1834 applied in the agricultural south?
From 1836- met with little serious opposition
Why was the Poor Law Amendment not suited to the economic conditions in the industrial towns?
Trade cycles
When was the Poor Law Amendment 1834 extended to the northern towns?
1837
When was the economic depression in the north?
1838-42
When did Anti-Poor Law Committees flourish from?
1837
When was there a food riot in Stockport that led to an attack on the town’s workhouse?
1842
When did various strands of radicalism come together to form the Chartist movement?
1836-38
When was the LMWA formed?
1836
Who formed the LMWA?
William Lovett
What was the membership of the LMWA like?
Small membership of a few hundred politically aware artisans, such as tailors and other craftsmen
What was the monthly membership fee of the LMWA?
One shilling
What were the aims of the LMWA?
Promotion of political and social rights; development of educational opportunities for all
East London Democratic Organisation
Formed in 1837- appealed to the poorer members of the working class; prepared to use physical force
When did the ELDO oppose the LMWA until?
Until the National Charter Association was founded in 1840, at which time it became part of this new body
What type of force did the LMWA promote?
Moral force
When did Lovett and his radical colleagues draft a series of proposals that became the People’s Charter?
May 1837
When had the BPU originally declined in importance?
Once the Reform Act had passed into law
Why did Attwood reorganise the BPU?
In response to the depression that hit several Midland towns that year
Why did the BPU fail to secure widespread support at first?
Its modest demands focused on household rather than universal suffrage
When did Attwood relaunch the BPU on a more radical programme?
November 1837
What did the more radical programme of the BPU include?
Universal suffrage, which would be presented to parliament, backed by a huge national petition
Who formed the GNU?
Feargus O’Connor
When was O’Connor elected for County Cork as MP?
1832
When was O’Connor disqualified as an MP?
1835
Why was O’Connor disqualified as an MP?
He did not possess the necessary property qualifications
When did O’Connor tour northern England and establish several local radical associations?
Late 1835
Why did O’Connor gain widespread support in the northern towns?
Brilliant and persuasive orator
Who supported O’Connor?
Unskilled English workers; growing number of Irish immigrants working in the industrial north
When was the GNU established?
O’Connor combined his different organisations into the GNU in 1837
What was O’Connor’s newspaper called?
Northern Star
What was the circulation of the ‘Northern Star’ in 1839?
Over 50,000
What was the initial circulation of the ‘Northern Star’?
10,000
When did the LMWA and the BPU attend a mass meeting in Glasgow of 200,000 people?
May 1838
Why did O’Connor not take up the cause of the People’s Charter immediately?
He did not wish to lose control of the GNU; deep personal disagreements with Lovett
Why did Lovett disapprove of O’Connor?
O’Connor’s deliberate courting of unskilled workers; fiery language of his speeches; his egotism
When did the GNU adopt the People’s Charter and the national petition?
At the Birmingham meeting in August 1838
Why did O’Connor change his mind about the People’s Charter?
He realised that Chartism was gaining widespread national support that could easily diminish the GNU
When was the National Convention?
February 1839
What did Lovett and the LWMA view the People’s Charter as?
Primarily a political document; reaction to Reform Act and Whig government’s policies
What did many supporters in the Midlands believe that Chartism was there for?
Economic rather than political factors- wage levels
When was one of the largest meetings of Chartists?
Kersal Moor outside Manchester in September 1838
How many people attended the Kersal Moor Chartist meeting?
50,000
What were most of the delegates at the National Convention?
Shopkeepers, tradesmen, doctors, newspaper editors
What divided the Chartists at the National Convention?
Sort of action Chartists should take after the petition was rejected
What were examples of peaceful protest suggested at the National Convention?
‘Exclusive dealing’; ‘sacred month’
Why was the suggestion of a ‘sacred month’ not accepted by everyone at the National Convention?
It carried with it the possibility that violence might be used
When did Chartists hold a meeting in the Bull Ring, challenging a ban on such meetings imposed by local magistrates?
July 1839
What led to Lovett’s arrest and imprisonment?
He prompted the Convention to denounce the police action used at the Bull Ring
