CHARITSM Flashcards
what was chartism
- ## a WC movement for political reform
when was chartism
1838-57
what was the 6 points on the peoples charter
- voting should be by secret ballot
-no property qualifications for mps
-payment of mps
-annual parliaments - universal suffrage for all men
- each parliament constituency should have roughly the same number of voters
when was the secret ballot act achieved
1872
when was the property mp qualifications achieved
1858
when was payment for mps achieved
1911
when was the vote for all adult males achieved
1918
what association was formed In 1836 that heralded the beginnings of the chartist movement
- Londons mens working association
who founded the London mens working association
- William lovvetth
how many signatures did the 1st petition have and when did it get presented
- 1839
-1.2 milly
2nd petition number of votes and when
-1842
-3.5 Milly
how much did the 2nd petition get rejected by
-rejected by a larger Margin of 43
3rd petition number of votes and when
- 1848
-6 milly
-gov was scared of the reemergence ocf chartism due to revolutions abroad
on what grounds did the 3rd petition get rejected
- gov claimed over half of the 6 milly signatures were fake
CAUSES OF CHARTISM: GREAT reform act 1832
- although the wc joined the mc to demand reform of the political system
- the wc did not benefit from the act
CAUSES OF CHARTIS: factory act 1833
- many wc people hoped the act would improve conditions for all, especially adults
- It only addressed children and didn’t tackle low wages, long hours for adults
CAUSES OF CHARTISM: Hunger politics
- forcing people to make change or act in order for change due to economic hardship or civil unrest
LEADERSHIP WITHIN CHARTISM: Feargus o Conner
- physical force chartist
-advocate of the land plan
what did the land plan do
- to give land to wc families in rural areas so they could meet the enfranchisement qualifications
what newspaper did feargus o Conner set up which acted as a voice piece of the chartist movement
- northern star
what type of chartist was George harney
physical force
what did George harney believe in
- committed to a revolutionary overthrow of the traditional system
- converted to marxism
what type of chartist was William Lovett
- physical force
William lovetts role within charitism
- drafted up the 1838 petition
-founded the Londons mens working association
what were the 2 different types of chartists
- physical and moral
what is the moral approach
- men like William Lovett and Thomas Atwood were for this approach
-consisted of using peaceful methods EG pamphlets and petitions to get their message across
what was the benefits of the moral approach
-they believed these peaceful methods would mean parliament would be more likely to listen to them as they were more respectable unlike violence
+ didn’t want to promote the stereotype that the wc was brutish and violent
what was the physical force approach
- preferred by feargus and George harney
-consisted of general strikes and even armed revolution if the gov didn’t listen
CHARTIST MEMBERSHIP
- the membership was very broad as the principles of their charter attracted a range of individuals
- however the majority was WC skilled workers from declining industries looking for protection
why was the movement hard to ignore
- the range of opinion it garnered generated a truly mass movement that was difficult to ignore
key events of chartism: Newport rising 1839
- armed rising of 5k miners (physical force) in S Wales in protest at failure of first petiton + working condition in the pits
results of the Newport rising 1839
- 10 dead and 500 imprisoned
- temporarily paralysing chartism
- showed physical force didn’t work
REASONS FOR FAILURE: hunger politics
- the movement saw levels of active support alongside economic fortunes
-that why the movement was popular among wc as they suffered the move during times of hardship
key event: Kensington common rally 1848
- huge rally 20k people before the presentation of the 3rd petition
-declared illegal and 150k rozzers deployed
REASONS FOR FAILURE: LACKED EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP
- Charismatic leaders EG feargus O Conner were able to attract support but unable to maintain a definitive approach ( EG moral vs physical)
- the use of physical force put off many MC supporters ( no mass support)
- generally unorganised and lacked cohesiveness
REASONS FOR FAILURE: AMBITION
- In period where gov had only just reluctantly given the vote to a modest number of respectable members of society
- to enfranchise every man was unrealistic
- aims were too broad ( 1 policy politics )
REASONS FOR FAILURE: GOV RESPONE
- Gov was very determined to prevent any challenge to status quo
- harsh improsnment sentences ( 2 years paralysing the moment )
- declining petitions
- railway network aloud for swift deployment of soldiers and shut down of rallies
how much railway was there in 1842
2k miles
