Chartism

Question 1

What were the six aims of the Charter?

Answer 1

Payment of MPs.
Secret Ballot.
Annual Parliaments.
Constituencies of equal size.
Universal manhood suffrage.
Abolition of property qualification for MPs.

Question 2

When were the six aims of the Charter achieved?

Answer 2

After the Chartist movement:
Annual Parliaments-never achieved (but reduced to every 5 years instead of 11 years)
Abolition of property qualification for MPs-1858
Secret Ballot-1872 Ballot Act
Universal manhood suffrage-1918+1928 Representation of the People Act
Constituencies of equal size-1885 Redistribution Act
Payment of MPs-1911 Parliament Act

Question 3

What were the calls for reform before the Chartists?

Answer 3

c17th-levellers called for universal manhood suffrage.
1776-Major John Cartwright ‘Take Your Choice’.
Spa Fields+Peterloo- Henry Hunt.

Question 4

What were the key reasons for the Chartist movement?

Answer 4

1832 Reform Act.
1833 Irish Coercion Act.
The Whigs and Trade Unions.
War of the unstamped press 1831-1836.
1833 Factory Act.
1834 Poor Law Amendment Act.

Question 5

How did the 1833 Factory Act contribute to Chartism?

Answer 5

Factory owners couldn’t employ children under the age of 9.
Children between the ages of 9-18 could work a maximum of 12 hours.
Children to be given some education and four inspectors appointed to enforce Act.
-Act did very little and men were not included, only women and children.

Question 6

How did the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act contribute to Chartism?

Answer 6

Introduced workhouses which had unpleasant conditions-almost ‘punished’ the poor.

Question 7

How did the War of the Unstamped Press 1931-36 contribute to Chartism?

Answer 7

1831 Henry Hetherington founded Poor Man’s Guardian which was unstamped and sold for two pence.
The Government tried to stop him and imposed taxes on newspaper.

Question 8

How did the 1832 Reform Act contribute to Chartism?

Answer 8

!832 Great Reform Act-enfranchised the working class.
Working class felt betrayed-Act favoured middle class.
Working class and middle class joined together in some areas to pressure for reform e.g. BPU.

Question 9

How did the 1833 Irish Coercion Act contribute to Chartism?

Answer 9

Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was given wide powers to suppress any public meetings-offenders to be tried in court martial not civil court.
Feared similar restrictions would be imposed on Britain.
Mass meetings in Birmingham, Nottingham, and Manchester-first stage of revival of radical political activity.

Question 10

How did the Whigs and the Trade Unions contribute towards Chartism?

Answer 10

Whigs had a firm stance against GNCTU (Grand National Consolidated Trades Union).
Limiting power of Trade Unions.
Hatred towards Whig Government.

Question 11

What three radical groups came together to form the Chartist movement?

Answer 11

London Working Men’s Association-William Lovett.
Birmingham Political Union-Thomas Attwood.
The Great Northern Union-Feargus O’Connor.

Question 12

What were the characteristics of the London Working Men’s Association?

Answer 12

Formed in 1836.
Aimed to promoted political and social rights (especially education).
Small membership of a few hundred politically aware artisans (tailors and craftsmen).
Favoured peaceful protest or moral force.

Question 13

What were the characteristics of the Birmingham Political Union?

Answer 13

Reorganised in 1837.
Aims for universal suffrage.
Rapidly won supporters when aims shifted-programme resembled LWMA.
Favoured peaceful methods.

Question 14

What were the characteristics of the Great Northern Union?

Answer 14

Formed in 1837.
Aims for Parliamentary reform.
Widespread support from unskilled English workers and Irish immigrants working in the North.
Newspaper- ‘Northern Star’ which reported on all Chartist activities.
Favoured more violent tactics.

Question 15

What was the National Convention?

Answer 15

February 1839- 53 delegates met up at the National Convention in London.
Londoners made up 1/4 of the total (dominated by the LWMA)-Industrial North sent 20 and Birmingham sent 8.
Agreed Parliament were unlikely to accept the first petition, divided over the action to take:
Exclusive dealing-boycotting shops and trades (peaceful).
Sacred month-National General Strike and abstaining from taxable goods to disrupt the economy (violent).

Question 16

What was the slogan for the Chartists’ tactics?

Answer 16

‘peacefully if we may, forcibly if we must’

Question 17

What did the National Convention suggest about the Chartist movement?

Answer 17

Hierarchal leadership-leaders and delegates.
Well organised-mass meetings and petitioning.
Support was mostly shopkeepers, tradesmen, doctors, and newspaper editors rather than majority working-class.
Support can from men, women, and children.

Question 18

What happen in the events of the first Charter?

Answer 18

June 1839-Attwood introduced first Charter to Parliament.
It was over 3 miles long and contained 1,283,000 signatures (some fraudulent)-1/4 were women.
14th July-The House of Commons voted on the petition, fewer than half all MPs turned up to vote and rejected by 235 votes to 46.

Question 19

Why did the National Convention come to an end?

Answer 19

By August 1839, the National Convention was in disarray.
The BPU withdrew its support following the outbreak of violence at the Bull Ring.
In September, with many leaders in prison including Lovett, the Convention was dissolved by remaining 23 delegates.

Question 20

What did the first Chartist petition suggest about the Chartist movement?

Answer 20

Disorganised-leaders had been arrested.
Big support from women and huge support for the first Charter (despite some being fraudulent).

Question 21

What were the events of the Newport Rising?

Answer 21

Following the arrest of Henry Vincent, prominent Welsh Chartist in August 1839, local organisers decided on a mass show of support to persuade officials to release Vincent.
March 3rd-a march led by John Frost converged in Newport.
They surrounded Westgate Hotel, troops responded by firing into the crowd-22 men killed and over 50 injured.
Frost was found guilty of high treason and was sentenced to death-later changed to transportation for life out of fear of national revolution.

Question 22

What does the Newport Rising suggest about the Chartist movement?

Answer 22

Well organised-mass show of support (military-based organisation).
Very strong support in industrial areas of South Wales.

Question 23

How many Chartists were imprisoned or detained between June 1839 and June 1840?

Answer 23

At least 543 Chartists (including Lovett, Stephens, O’Connor).

Question 24

When did the first phase of Chartism come to an end?

Answer 24

By 1840, the BPU had withdrew support and many middle class members had left the organisation, following the failure of the risings and the first petition.

Question 25

What was the National Charter Association?

Answer 25

New Chartist organisation formed on 20th July 1840.
By 1842, it had established 400 associations, requiring a subscription from its members and membership of 70,000.
Leader: O’Connor.

Question 26

What was knowledge Chartism?

Answer 26

Organisation led by Lovett: National Association Promoting the Political and Social Improvements of the People.
Rival of NCA and O’Connor denounced it and by the 1850s it had faded into insignificance.

Question 27

What were the events of the Second Charter?

Answer 27

April 1842-National Convention met.
The petition contained 3.3 million signatures, 1/3 of the adult population, and its the largest single petition ever presented to Parliament.
The petition was rejected by 287 votes to 49.

Question 28

What does the Second Chartist petition suggest about the Chartist movement?

Answer 28

Support for the Chartists depended on the economic conditions at the time (mostly working-class and unemployed).

Question 29

What were the Plug plots?

Answer 29

Worsening economic conditions led to wage reductions in the Lancashire and Yorkshire cotton trades, sparking strikes.
Involved individual Chartists but not promoted by the movement as a whole-denounced by O’Connor in ‘Northern Star’.
Short-lived with the good harvest of 1842.

Question 30

What were the events of Kennington Common?

Answer 30

10th April 1848-A mass meeting planned to be held following the presentation of a petition to the House of Commons.
Only 25,000 turned up-Home Office prepared for mass insurrection by stationing 8,000 soldiers around London and enlisting 150,000 special constables.
Police forced prevented demonstrations crossing the Thames Bridges and marching to Parliament.
O’Connor claimed that 5.5 million had signed the petition but had fewer than 2 million genuine signatures-House of Commons refused to consider the petition.

Question 31

What did Kennington Common suggest about the Chartist movement?

Answer 31

Lack of support and very few women compared to previous years.

Question 32

Why did the Chartist movement end by 1858?

Answer 32

Early 1849-Chartism no longer attracted a strong allegiance among working people and faded into insignificance.
1858-A final Chartist Convention was convened.

Question 33

What did JR Stephens call Chartism?

Answer 33

‘This question of universal suffrage is a knife and fork question, a bread and cheese question’.

Question 34

What were the trends in support geographically for the Chartists?

Answer 34

Support strong in industrial areas of the Midlands and the North-e.g. Manchester and surrounding textile towns (opposition to Poor Law).
Scotland-strong especially after the Government’s suppression of the Glasgow Weavers’ strike in 1837-38.
Ireland-failed to gain widespread support.
Southern agricultural districts-failed to gain mass support.
London-failed to gain mass support.

Question 35

What were the trends in women’s support for the Chartists?

Answer 35

Women made up 1/3 of members in early years.
Women involved in running Chartist Sunday schools, sewing banners, and tea parties-also promoted exclusive dealings.
100 female Chartist associations-23 in Scotland, BUT women never given roles in the national movement.
After the 1840s, women’s support declines, following formation of the NCA-became more interested in religious and teetotal movements.

Question 36

What were the social class trends in support for the Chartists?

Answer 36

Early years-attracted support from middle class but by 1838 most left due to increasing violence.
1838-Anti-Corn Law League was set up in Manchester by Cobden and Bright. Attempts to join movements together but many Chartists unwilling to work with a middle-class movement.
1841-Complete Suffrage Union was formed by Joseph Sturge to promote universal manhood suffrage. Attempted to gain Chartist support but O’Connor always wanted to focus on the Charter. The CSU collapsed in 1842.

Question 37

What were the trends in Trade organisations support for the Chartists?

Answer 37

1830s-many joined Chartism in hopes of political change in areas but many trade union members’ aims were still economic. 21/23 responded to first petition that they had grievances over lack of work and low pay rather than voting rights.
1840s-Chartists involved in formation of trade unions: The General United Tailor’s Trade Protection Society and the Mechanics Protective Society of Great Britain in 1844. Attempts to distribute Chartist materials at meetings were met with opposition.

Question 38

What were the reasons for fluctuations in support for the Chartist movement?

Answer 38

Trade Unions.
Economic conditions.
Splits in leadership: Lovett and O’Connor 1942.
Tactics-1839 moral v physical argument.
Splits in aims-female, Christian, Education etc.
Lack of support from ‘Establishment’.

Question 39

How did the Government respond to The National Convention, Newport Rising, and Kennington Common?

Answer 39

National Convention-Little response, arrested leaders after bull-ring riots months later.
Newport Rising-Troops responded violently and Frost and two others sentenced to death and then transportation for life.
Kennington Common-Home Office prepared for mass insurrection.

Question 40

What were the three new methods the Government used in response to the Chartists?

Answer 40

Railways.
Police force.
Electric telegraph.

Question 41

Why was Major General Sir Charles Napier an unusual choice for dealing with Chartism?

Answer 41

In charge of 4,000 troops in Northern District (1839).
Troops stationed around but doesn’t send them into meetings.
He and his brother were members of Bath Working Men’s Association so sympathetic to Chartist cause.

Question 42

How did the Whigs pre 1842 respond to the Chartist movement?

Answer 42

No action against Chartist speakers/writers who openly advocated force (National Convention).
Government refused to curtail the ‘Northern Star’ despite some Whig complaints.
Reluctant to respond to calls from local magistrates to supply military forces.
Strong action after 1839 petition and Newport Rising-troops, leaders arrested, and restrictions on Chartist papers.

Question 43

How did the Tories and Whigs post 1842 respond to the Chartist movement?

Answer 43

Use of troops-sent to Northern districts.
Special Constables e.g. Kennington Common.
Harder response.

Question 44

Why had Chartism failed to meet its aims by 1850?

Answer 44

Government response-new methods: railway, police force, and electrical telegraph.
Splits over tactics-moral v physical.
Splits over aims-O’Connor=political, Lovett=education. Also Christian, teetotal, and women.
Leadership splits-O’Connor and Lovett.
Fluctuations in support in 1839, 1842, 1848 with changing economic circumstances.
Aims-too radical.

Question 45

What did O’Connor unveil in 1945?

Answer 45

The Chartist Land Plan-failed.
Remove workers from towns and resettle them on small farms.
BUT working-class O’Connor targeted had little experience in farming and not enough land allocated to house the number of people.

Question 46

How did the divided working-class contribute to the failed Chartism aims by 1850?

Answer 46

The ‘aristocracy’ of labour, highly paid and highly skilled craftsmen and growing number of engineers did not tend to support Chartist movement.
No support from agricultural labourers within the countryside.
After 1840 divisions became more acute when Chartists diverted into other matters e.g. the Rochdale Pioneers who established the first co-operative shop and women moved towards teetotal movement.

Question 47

How did the Trade Union movement contribute to the failed Charter by 1850?

Answer 47

Trade Union movement had been curtailed from 1834 and the collapse of the GNCTU.
Initially the trade union movement send representatives to meetings e.g. Kersal Moor in 1838, but proposal of Sacred Month led to unionists to distance themselves.
Unions were more concerned with economic rather than political matters.
O’Connor tried to win over unions by changing name of the ‘Northern Star’ to ‘Northern Star and National Trades Journal’ but he was unsuccessful.

Question 48

Why was Chartism not a complete failure?

Answer 48

5/6 points of the People’s Charter were eventually adopted.
Chartism revived working-class radicalism and allowed new leadership to emerge.
The ‘Northern Star’ furthered the political education of the working class.
The 1850s and 1860s saw the growth of many working-class organisations: trade unions, co-operative societies and Sunday schools.

Question 49

What are the key dates regarding Chartism?

Answer 49

1838- William Lovett’s People’s Charter.
1839- National Convention, Newport Rising, and the First petition.
1840- First phase of Chartism to an end, and Lovett released from prison forming ‘knowledge Chartism’.
1842- Plug Plots, and the Second petition.
1845- O’Connor’s Chartist Land Plan.
1848- Kennington Common, and the Third petition.