Chapter 15 - Pressures for change 1832-46 Flashcards
When was the London Working Men’s Association formed?
June 1836
Who were two figures who were influential in creating and launching the Chartist movement?
William Lovett and Francis Place
When was the Newport Rising?
3rd November 1839
When were the Plug Plot riots?
1832
What did Chartist agitation arise from?
- Working class discontent at government reforms failing to improve their situation
- Failure of the Grand National Consolidated Trades Union
- Economic downturns and poor harvests
When in the 1830s were there poor harvests?
1836-37
Who were two middle-class supporters of the Chartist movement?
John Fielden and Richard Oastler
The failure of which 3 Whig reforms to improve their situation drove the working classes towards Chartism?
- 1832 Great Reform Act
- 1833 Factory Act
- 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act
What political group endorsed Chartism when it was launched in 1838?
The BPU
What were the 6 points of the People’s Charter?
- Universal male suffrage
- A secret ballot
- Annual parliaments
- No property qualifications for candidates
- Payment of MPs
- Constituencies to have equal numbers of voters
What newssheet did Feargus O’Connor own?
The Northern Star
What campaign was Feargus O’Connor involved in before Chartism?
O’Connell’s Irish repeal party
What view did Lovett take on Chartist leadership?
He was a moderate leader, and advocated persuasion rather than violence, as well as believing that education was vital in dealing with political and social problems
What method did Thomas Attwood think would give the Chartists the greatest chance of success?
Petitioning Parliament
Initially, where did the more extreme Chartists operate?
In poor Northern towns
What did Feargus O’Connor and his supporters believe should be used to get Parliament to accept the Charter?
Violence if necessary
How many signatures did the first People’s Charter get?
1,280,000
When was the first People’s Charter presented to Parliament?
July 1839
What happened when the first People’s Charter was presented in Parliament?
It was rejected by both Whigs and Tories
How was Chartism’s support reduced by 1840?
An economic upturn had reduced the discontent of working men
What confirmed middle-class fears about the Chartist movement?
The Newport Rising
How did Feargus O’Connor want to respond to the failure of the first petition?
With threats of intimidation and violence
What happened to William Lovett after the first People’s Charter was rejected?
He was imprisoned for sedition and disorder
By when was Feargus O’Connor established as popular leader of the Chartist movement?
1842
What led to an increase in support for the Chartist movement in 1842?
An economic downturn, which reignited working-class agitation
How many people supposedly signed the second Chartist petition?
3 million
What happened when the second Chartist petition was presented in Parliament?
It was ridiculed and dismissed
Where did the Plug Plot riots begin?
Ashton-under-Lyme
Why were the Plug Plot riots named so?
Because they involved knocking the boiler plugs out of factory steam engines to stop them working
Who gained ground at the expense of the Chartists between 1842 and 1846?
The trade unions and the Anti-Corn Law League
How did the Peel government deal with the Plug Plot riots?
By using the newly operational local police forces
How did the authorities see the Plug Plot riots?
As being subversive and conspiratorial