Chartism

Question 1

Where did Chartism originate from?

Answer 1

• The London’s Working Men’s Association (LWMA), which was led by William Lovett and Francis Place.
• Six radical MPs who supported reform.
• Reformist groups who had campaigned for a free, unstamped press following the Reform Act.

Question 2

What were the Chartist aims?

Answer 2

• The People’s charter:
• Universal suffrage for all men over 21 with sound minds who were not criminals.
• Secret ballots in elections.
• Abolition of the property qualification act for MPs.
• Introduction of salaries for MPs.
• Redrawn constituencies, which should be equal in size of population.
• Annual parliamentary elections.

Question 3

Why did the Chartist movement appear 1838-39?

Answer 3

• WC disillusionment with the 1832 GRA.
• Failure of the political parties to address future reform.
• Impact of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act - when brought to the north in 1836, the law was seen as taking advantage of the poor.
• Poor working and living conditions, Factory Act 1833 which favoured factory owners by refusing to include a legal limit of a 10 hour working day. Trade depression 1837-42.

Question 4

What happened at the first National Convention in 1839?

Answer 4

• An organised meeting initially in London of Chartists to discuss their plans to propose their petition to Parliament.
• Disagreements set in over whether to use force, what to do if it failed and whether it was going to be a national or local movement.
• In general, south more moderate than north. Reports of weapons being prepared in Newcastle.
• The convention reconvened in Birmingham and planned on a general strike and a run on the banks.

Question 5

What was the result of the first petition in 1839?

Answer 5

• It had 1.2 million signatures.
• Parliament rejected it, 235 votes to 46.
• National Convention was thrown into confusion with some wanting a national rebellion and others refusing to be violent.
• The general strike was rejected by the convention.
• There were some local riots in Birmingham, which were quickly put down and a number of Chartists were arrested.

Question 6

What was the Newport Rising?

Answer 6

• In 1839, John Frost, a former mayor of Newport, led 5,000 minors, some of whom were armed, in a protest march.
• They claimed it was to free Chartist members from prison.
• They were stopped by soldiers, 24 died and 125 were arrested, of whom 25 were charged with high treason, including Frost and other leaders.

Question 7

How many Chartists were arrested between 1839 and 1840?

Answer 7

Over 500

Question 8

What happened at the second National Convention and second petition in 1842?

Answer 8

• Arranged in 1842, following economic depression and the breakdown of the Poor Law system with the Outdoor Labour system which reintroduced outdoor relief.
• A new petition was collected with 3.3 million signatures. It was presented to Parliament, and again rejected by 287 votes to 49.
• Resulted in strikes included the ‘Plug Plot’ were workers removed the plugs from factory boilers.
• The strikes burned out quickly and the Convention again disintegrated in disillusionment and confusion.

Question 9

What happened with the third petition in 1848?

Answer 9

• In 1848, revolutionary fevour spread across Europe, starting with Sicily and France.
• Chartist support increased as trade worsened and industrial unemployment increased.
• A third National Convention was organised with a new petition prepared. O’Connor claimed it had 6 million signatures, though it was less than 2 million.
• The gov rejected the petition again.

Question 10

What happened at the Kenningtion Common Rally 1848?

Answer 10

• A peaceful march was organised at Kennington Common which made the gov fear violence and draft special constables and put the army on standby.
• In the end, partly due to rain, fewer Chartists turned up than expected and O’Connor urged them to disperse.
• The Chartists claimed that 150,000 had attended while the gov claimed it was 12,000-15,000.
• The leaders at the march were arrested, and the march and the National Convention fizzled out.

Question 11

What was support for Chartism like in London and the South?

Answer 11

• Movement originated in London and the South with the LWMA creating the six point People’s Charter.
• Half of the representatives in the first National Convention were from London.
• As the movement started to become more involved with physical protest, support from the south reduced. Also, as the movement became dominated by industrial workers from the north, southern influence decreased.
• The South West was never a particular source of support.

Question 12

What was Chartist support like in Birmingham?

Answer 12

• The BPU was significant in the early support for the Chartist movement.
• However, like London, supporters here tended to be more moderate so when the movement became involved with riots after the first petition, their support reduced.

Question 13

What was Chartist support like in the North?

Answer 13

• The North was always important to the Chartist movement. This is due to the bad economic conditions and the under-represented areas.
• Leeds, Manchester, Stockport, Newcastle and Glasgow were major centres of support.
• In the first convention, almost half of the representatives were northern.
• As the movement moved north and the influence of the south reduced, northern support became far more important.
• During the petition years, Chartist militias formed and drilled, and weapons were collected and manufactured.

Question 14

What was Chartist support like in the middle class?

Answer 14

• At the start, there was sympathy from the middle class due to the economic problems of industrial areas. There were even MC supporters in the first National Convention.
• Following the Birmingham riots and the Newport Rising of 1839, MC support evaporated.
• In the north, Chartists took an Anti-Corn Law League stance, which alienated the MC.

Question 15

What was Chartist support like in the working class?

Answer 15

• After 1840, the Chartist movement was extremely WC.
• The ideas of Chartism attracted skilled workers whose livelihood was being affected by economic fluctuations and who were experiencing the impact of living in unrepresented urban areas.
• Workers like handloom weavers, coal miners and metal workers were attracted to the movement. Factory workers did support but not in such large numbers.
• Also, the idea of communally working together fitted well with the close-knit communities that many lived in.

Question 16

What was Chartist support like from rural workers?

Answer 16

• Although working class, rural farm workers were largely unaffected by the Chartist movement and did not particularly support it. Did not face same problems as WC.
• The Poor Law Amendment Act had in some cases benefited them, and they did not have the same problems of under-representation, thought the franchise was still limited.
• This also explains the north south divide in Chartist support.

Question 17

What was Chartist support like from women?

Answer 17

• Estimated that 20% of signatures on the three petitions were by women. Many local Chartist groups had a women’s division.
• The Hyde Chartist Society had 300 males and 200 females, while the Birmingham Charter Association had 3,000 female members.
• Women were crucial to fundraising and running Chartist Sunday schools.
• The influence of women supporters was most important 1839 to 1842, and it started to peter out after the second petition.

Question 18

Who was William Lovett and what impact did he have on the Chartist movement?

Answer 18

• Pro-reform leader who emphasised the use of non-physical protest.
• Founding member of the LWMA and was key to the six poit charter.
• Secretary to the National Convention. His non violent stance contributed to the confused split after the failure of the first petition.
• Arrested during the Birmingham riots when he protested against the police violence.
• Focused on trying to unite the working and middle classes with the Birmingham-based Universal Suffrage Association.
• Hindered by O’Connor who attacked him in the Northern Star.
• Side tracked into other concerns, such as campaigning to improved education and joining the Anti-slavery League.

Question 19

What were the positive impacts that Feargus O’Connor had on the Chartist movement?

Answer 19

• Charismatic leader who attracted the WC.
• His reputation grew when he served 18 months in prison for sedition, during which he smuggled letters out to publish in the Norther Star.
• The Northern Star was essential as the main means of transmitting Chartist ideas between various groups nationally. It sold 36,000 copies weekly.
• Served as an MP in 1847 which gave him influence.
• Created the National Charter Association in 1840, which revived the movement after the failure of the first petition. By 1842, it claimed to have 400 branches and 50,000 members.

Question 20

What were the negative impacts that O’Connor had on the movement?

Answer 20

• His political ideas were unfocused and varied from speech to speech.
• Argued with other leaders. Described them as artisans, rather than real members of the industrial WC, damaged their reputation.

Question 21

What are the areas of dispute over O’Conner?

Answer 21

• His rhetoric was of action and violence. He maintained that the gov would only act in the face of real threats. However, he never got involved in violence which resulted in criticism.
• O’Connor became focused on theories of land ownership for peasants which diverted his attention. His Land Plan, an effort to purchase land to settle workers on their own plots, absorbed a lot of time and finances and ultimately was badly organised and impractical.

Question 22

What was the government response to Chartism until 1838?

Answer 22

• The Whig government 1835-41 had believed that the 1832 reform act had sufficiently amended the constitution and no further change was needed. Tories agreed with this.
• Although, there was support from some MPs, the unorganised and violent nature of the movement made any real parliamentary support unlikely.
• As the Whigs believed in Liberal and free thinking, they took no real action initially. Did not break up the Manchester Kersal Moor meeting 1838 which involved 30,000 people.

Question 23

What was the government response from 1839?

Answer 23

• Following the Birmingham riots, the gov took a more direct role of opposing the movement.
• The two main tactics were to arrest the leaders and put them in prison, and use police and soldiers to break up marches and protests.
• They were prepared to deal with Chartists due to the establishment of the Met Police in London in 1829. and the Rural Police Act 1839 which established police forces in several counties around Britian.

Question 24

What was Major General Napier’s view on Chartism.

Answer 24

• He had sympathies with the radicals and had seen first hand the economic difficulties faced by the poor. Had witnessed the 1798 Irish rebellions so knew the threat of a unhappy population.
• He had respect for the Chartists intentions but did not believe in their tactics.

Question 25

How did Napier limit the violence used by Chartists?

Answer 25

• An experienced military man with first hand battle experience. Contributed to his calming effect on his officers and his desire to avoid bloodshed.
• Realised that the northern army was badly organised and that local commanders were unaware of what local Chartist threats existed. He fixed these issues.
• He reassured local magistrates that they had the backing of the military so that they would not over-react to meetings and local groups, like the Peterloo Massacre in 1819.
• He also exercised restraint with the use of troops even when armed militias drilled and marched. Stopped chaotic outcomes.

Question 26

What was the impact of a rail network?

Answer 26

• It had sped up urbanisation which increased unemployment and lowered wages. Impact on the appearance of Chartism.
• Also helped the prevention of Chartism.
• Allowed soldiers to be moved quickly which meant that the gov could respond quickly when threats arosed. Chartist marches could not get a foothold before troops arrived.
• The spread of the electric telegraph in the 1840s simplified the government and army’s ability to co-ordinate their responses.

Question 27

What were the reasons why the Chartists had not achieved their aims by 1850?

Answer 27

• Rejection of the petitions by Parliament.
• Divisions among the leadership.
• Class divisions.
• Conflict with other protests and reforms.
• Aims that were too ambitious.
• Inconsistent support.
• Effective government tactics.
• Damage to the reputation of the Chartist movement.

Question 28

To what extent was the Chartist movement really a failure?

Answer 28

• Did not achieve any of its aims.
• However, in an indirect sense, it did have an impact.
• Within the various acts and reforms leading up to 1928, every one of the reforms except annual elections was enacted in the constitution.
• Taught valuable lessons to future movements.
• Created an exclusively WC culture in Victorian Britain. Spread of trade unions. By 1870, they had become a significant political force with many strikes. Between 1872 and 1879, there were more than 300 strikes per year.
• This all contributed to an increased WC sense of unity and demand for reform.