Chapter 5 – Chartism, 1838-1850 Flashcards
- Why did the 1832 Reform Act prove so disappointing to the working classes?
1) Working classes were swept along in enthusiasm for bill, sure it would be first step on road to democracy ;
joined m-c shopkeepers/manufacturers, involved for first time & showed that a well-organised campaign backed by huge numbers could achieve change in Parliament
Disappointed with terms in practice:
1) looked and behaved very much the same, even less sympathetic to the working classes in composition:
- Henry hunt lost seat,
- so did Michael Sadler (campaigned to reduce factory hours) as middle classes in Leeds voted in a factory owner
2) Betrayed by the middle classes and the actions of Parliament seemed to demonstrate more opposition to interests of working classes than previously.
Disappointment turned to anger/chartism by
- the Factory Act 1833 (Ten Hour Movement 1830 campaign succeeded only in restricting the hours that children could work)
- The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 extended vote for local town councils to all ratepayers; excluded working class from participating in local government, shut out as ‘32. Plus new tow councils established modern police forces, seen as threatening (Lancashire: workers called the ‘plague of blue locust’)
- What impact did the unstamped press have on the radical movement?
Since Acts 1819, newspapers has to pay stamp duty to deprive radical press of working-class readers because tax meant they cost about 3d. ‘taxes on knowledge’ BUT NOT ALL PAPERS OBEYED THE LAW:
1. Henry Hetherington edited the “Poor Man’s Guardian”, proved at a penny and selling over 15,000 copies a week (he was imprisoned twice, but didn’t stop it being published in secret locations)
2. London: 740 sellers of unstamped papers put on trial 1831 and 1836.
Whig gov have in: 1836, lowered tax so they could be sold for 1.5d — important victory:
- active press vital in developing and spreading radical ideas
- Determined / well-organised campaign could force the government to give way
- How important was the Anti-Poor Law campaign in the emergence of Chartism?
Since Eliz times, those who couldn’t afford to look after themselves fell back on parish “poor relief” (main unit of local gov, responsible)
Paid out of local taxes— “outdoor relief” (food, clothing, money) most common
Can’t look after yourself in own home? Relief in poorhouse/workhouse— “indoor relief”
By far the most significant.
2) Poor Law (Whig, 1834) designed to cut increasing cost of poor relief: abolished outdoor relief; only workhouses— conditions “less eligible” than those of poorest payed worker outside to deter all but most needy.
W.C. Fear and hatred: Samuel Kydd wrote labourers believed the “law was a law to punish poverty”, it was to “sap the loyalty of the working men” who would “cherish feelings of revenge”
3) Punitive law. Rob poor of “right” to poor relief. Demonstrated how much control Parliament had over daily lives of working people,
how little control the working classes had over their own lives. Family life under threat = sexes separated.
4) Radical leaders toured (speeches, funds, local clubs) to oppose law’s introduction in the industrial north. Those campaigning for ten-hour day transferred their energies to this: O’Connor started Northern Star paper in Leeds- crucial in spreading news and views across country in this campaign & next 10 years as leading Chartist paper
5) radical MP John Fielden proposed repeal… voted against 309 to 17: working classes thought there was no chance of getting parliament to pass laws that would improve poor’s working and living conditions, they worked whilst ‘idle’ prospered and ruled
WORKING MEN NEEDED TO ENTER PARLIAMENT TO CONTROL/IMPROVE THEIR LIVES
- What were the main points of the Charter?
Drawn up, in 1937, by six members of the London Working Men’s Association and six radical MPs, six points for reform: the ‘People’s Charter’, published MAY 1838
1) Universal manhood suffrage: all 21+
2) Payment of MPs
3) Annual parliaments: gen elec yearly
4) Equal electoral districts: roughly the same number of electors
5) Vote by secret ballot: no fear of pressure from landlord or employer
6) Abolition of the property qualification for MPs
2 constitutional, 2 about MPs, 2 about methods
NONE NEW; radicals calling for many years; BUT now symbol&focus of a national mass movement, hundreds of thousands for 10 years
- How important was the National Petition?
Charter taken up by Attwood’s BPU, northern activists such as John Fielden & Feargus O’Connor (anti Poor Law), radicals nationwide
Launched in Glasgow where textile workers imprisoned May 1838: decided a Petition would be presented, nothing new, but different because SO MANY sigs Parliament couldn’t ignore. Collected at mass meetings nationwide; appoint delegates to attend National Convention in London to organise its presentation to parliament.
Huge meetings held: over 200,000 each in Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds (smaller ones in towns across country)
Organised and publicised with Chartist press: Northern Star most important (1839- 50,000 copies a week, like Times)
Convention met Feb 1839, claimed to represent all people, unlike parliament: ‘annti-Parliament’, ‘real’ parliament
Over 1.25m signatures collected: 3 miles.
Size of petition and level of organisation unprecedented.
July 1839, Parliament rejected 235 votes to 46; most MPs decided to have 0 to do with it
- How did members of the Convention view the use of force?
1) ‘moral force’: Chartism so obviously fair they could win people over with argument, however, most agreed they needed sheer force of numbers to persuade property-owning parliament to agree
2) Many meetings before Convention used ‘the language of menace’…
Big Birmingham meeting May 1838: ‘No blood shall be shed by us; but if our enemies shed blood… they must take the consequences upon their own heads’:
‘defensive violence’ adopted by many Chartist leaders- ‘Peacefully if we can, forcefully if we must’.
3) Sacred month suggested? direct challenge to employers and ruling classes as a whole, could wreck economy;
probs cause physical confrontation, troops, death.
Such discussions scared some Chartist delegates (esp. m.c.): Attwood (employer) left Convention 9/1839: he ‘washed his hands of any idea, of any appeal to physical force’
4) July 1839, (London) Metropolitan Police broke up peaceful Chartist meeting in Birmingham (Bull Ring?). Led to 2weeks of rioting:
Lovett: secretary of C.C.: placard accusing local authorities in B’ham of ‘a flagrant and unjust outrage, using a bloody and unconstitutional force from London’– ARRESTED and YEAR in prison, seditious libel
A Leading ‘moral force’ chartist defending B’ham crowd in fighting police..? an example of ‘defensive violence’
5) not a clear cut division between ‘moral force’ and ‘physical force’ chartists–
O’Connor often associated w physical force, but primarily advocate of peaceful approach, couldn’t defeat soldiers in army.
- Was the Newport rising an attempt to overthrow the government or a demonstration that went wrong?
By 1939: Carlyle, a ‘bitter discontent grown fierce and mad’
A) one historian believes ‘monster demonstration’ intended: a show of force to protest recent arrests?
B) Authorities saw it as an armed uprising intended as the signal for similar uprisings elsewhere (planned for some time and kept secret)
… One Chartist (17) left a letter to parents: ‘I shall this night be engaged in a struggle for freedom… grieve not for me for I shall fall in a noble cause’
Historical evidence= NOT part of co-ordinated, national plot, but to take control of Newport and encourage Chartists elsewhere to do same.
- How did the government respond to the Chartists’ new strategies after 1839?
(petition failed, hundreds of leaders arrested– reorganised– stronger central organisation needed)
1) O’Connor, in York Castle, continued to write Northern Star, and encouraged the establishment of the NATIONAL CHARTER ASSOCIATION (est. 1840, had 50,000 members in 400 branches by 1842)
2) Lovett released 1840: promoted EDUCATION for w.c.: a scheme with schools, libraries, teacher training colleges; w.c. had to PROVE by self-improvement that they were RESPONSIBLE, ‘ready’ for vote
3) Teetotal Chartism
4) Birmingham: Chartist Church
ALL ‘MORAL FORCE’; yet
- O’Connor attacked these ‘new moves’, saw. them DISTRACTING attention from petitioning, w numbers
1) SO O’Connor n supporters organised 2nd petition & another Convention 1842
2) 3million sigs collected- 1842 (economic depression & rising unemployment) Chartism’s GREATEST STRENGTH w mas support
3) May 1842- parliament rejected petition by huge majority
- How did the government react to the Plug disturbances?
AUGUST 1842 (surprise of Chartist leaders. workers laid off & wage cuts. strikes: Lancashire and Yorkshire to industrial parts of Midlands and Scotland. pulled plugs as went from factory to factory, forcing them to close)
1) late 1830s and early 1870s: 6,000 troops deployed in North.
2) Led by General Napier (sympathetic, attributed to Poor Law) ; pity>fear- ‘Their threats of attack are miserable’ as no match for troops
3) Many violent confrontations between Chartists and authorities- local police forces effective,
4) Police troops moved quickly around trouble spots on RAILWAYS
5) Hundreds of ARRESTS made (CONSERVATIVE government, elected 1841; swifter and firmer in response than Whigs)—— end of 1842, about 1,500 on trial
- What was the Chartist Land Plan?
O’Connor’s scheme to establish rural Chartist communities. Buy shares in company; if name drawn, you received plot of land to cultivate.
Hugely popular among industrial working class: 100,000 people subscribed by 1848; 5 communities set up with homes, schools, parks
BUT Authorities hounded up O’Connor and his company; no financial malpractice, but legal technicality enabling them to wind it up
- Why had Chartism failed to achieve its aims by 1850?
Essentially state and movement
Strength of its adversaries, or weakness of itself.
1) governing classes would NEVER GIVE WAY: had middle classes since 1832, property united in determination to exclude. Feared accepting Charter more than rejecting.
2) (MOSTLY) POWER OF STATE couldn’t be matched by Chartists. Strong & confident.
ARMY was loyal,
Professional POLICE forces across most of country by 1840s.
Had support of MAGISTRATES (well informed);
extensive use of COURTS to imprison leaders;
RAILWAY (ie. moved 60 police from London to deal with Birmingham crowd 5/6/1839);
(new technology)
TELEGRAPH from early 1840s- inform and deploy.
1832 has detached mc from ‘dangerous’ wc; created ‘propertied alliance’
Could handle radical disaffection (no matyrs like peterloo, ie Newport changed to transportation)
1000s of troops in north led by sympathetic Napier, not repressive
3) Government reforms 1840s. Weakened Chartist case that only a reformed parliament could alleviate harsh conditions of poor.
Poor Law less threatening in practise than feared.
Taxes on food reduced, Ten Hours Act passed 1847
4) Robert Gammage (Chartist) blamed POOR LEADERSHIP, esp O’Connor, “presents a series of mistakes and contractions”. Although divisive, he was acc good.
Others: divisions among leaders, disagreements over strategy when rejected (John Walton: “impossible questions when the constitutional modes of agitation had been exhausted”)
5) WEAKNESS OF MOVEMENT: small number of allies in House. Royle; “no coherent or effective strategy”, moral force naive, physical force imaginative.
Violence (Newport, Yorkshire 48) did little; fortified government/mc > panicking them.
- Although the convention voted against the idea of a month-long strike, the delegates called for…
a three-day strike in August. Response varied.
1) many refused to leave work and so lose their pay/jobs for short term gesture
2) others (most loyal districts) stood off work, attended rallies
3) Many local leaders arrested for speeches, threatening behaviour, riot
The Chartist Convention broke up in September 1839; still much support for direct action despite arrests of many leading Chartists BUT rejection = confusion over what to do next
delegates returned to localities and movement lost central direction… much now depend on local leaders
- What was the Newport rising?
1) Nov 1839- nearly 10,000 men marched from towns and villages in south wales to Newport (4.11). Most miners & ironworkers.
2) Many armed (pikes, guns, wooden clubs), marched in military formation.
3) Surrounded Westgate hotel (some local chartist leaders held there under armed guard)
4) small force of troops who started firing which may/may not have been in response to initial shots from Chartists. unclear.
5) Chartists fled: over 20 bodies left @ scene. Intentions unclear.
- 3 leaders sentenced to death for attempting to overthrow state by force BUT Whig government (afraid of martyrs) changed it to transportation
- Gov now had justification to move against Chartists; nearly 500 imprisoned over next two years
- Was chartism economically or politically motivated?
ECONOMIC: 1) years of maximum support for Chartists were in years of economic depression (1838-9, 1842, 1848): trade poor, out of work– ‘hunger politics’
Bronterre O’Brien: 1839: ‘Universal suffrage means meat and drink and clothing’
POLITICAL: 1) anger and frustration following Reform Act
2) parliament showed little interest in conditions of working people; need to enter themselves
3) whatever local conditions, working people could agree on political points of Charter: united, kept hope alive
BOTH 1) Certainly fuelled by unemployment, low wages, hunger BUT Charter seen as solution; to gain control/change, political power first
2) composed of political activists who wanted to use politics to improve l&w conditions
- Why did Chartism lose its mass support in the mid-1840s?
Did it do so fully?
- arrests of many leaders
- divisions among other leaders
- economic recovery (+railway boom)
- government reforms: Conservative reforms showed even a parliament in which poor had no say could respond to distress in industrial areas. Included a) reducing import taxes on some food b) reintroducing income tax which only better off paid. Took some sting out of Chartism
No. Chartist hopes kept alive/revived by the Chartist Land Company
