Chartism Flashcards
Cause 1 of Chartism?
Government:
- A corrupt voting system
- mistreatment of campaigners
- Limited significance of the great reform act
A corrupt voting system
- in counties (rural constituencies) only property owners could vote
- In boroughs (urban constituencies) it varied wildly who could vote
- no secret ballots (voters could be intimidated of bribes into voting for their landlords preferred representative)
- MP’s weren’t paid, only the rich could become MP’s
- constituency boundaries hasent changed for centuries, this meant rotten boroughs (old traditional constituencies) where few lived anymore could send MP’s to the House of Commons, however, industrial towns couldn’t as they had inly recently grown
Mistreatment of campaigners
Peterloo massacre, 1818:
- St Peters Field, Manchester, 60,000 people had gathered to demand the right to vote for ordinary men
- peaceful protest where many had a picnic and listen to speeches from campaigners like Henry Hunt
- local authorities sent armed soldiers (yeomanry) to break up the gathering
- 400 were wounded, 18 were killed
Six Acts, 1819:
- After the events at Saint Peters Field, the government passed acts to limit the political meetings to fewer than 50 people and increased the penalties for radical campaigning
Limited significance of the great reform act
The great reform act had intended to ward off a full blown revolution in Britain
- it had wiped out many rotten boroughs
- it had created new constituencies in sime of the industrial cities
- it lowered the threshold for voting: you now only had to own property worth £10, this allowed the number of men allowed to vote to go from 430,000 to 650,000
There were still many limitations:
- 6 in every 7 men still couldn’t vote, and none of the working class could vote
- the ballot still wasn’t secret
- MP’s still weren’t payed
Cause 2 of Chartism?
Economy:
- widespread hardship
Widespread hardship
Many ordinary people became desperate:
- corn laws: tariffs on cheap foreign grain meant the price of bread was painfully high as people had to use expensive homegrown grain rather than a cheap imported alternative
- poor harvests: food shortages were common so people were hungry
- new machines: taking men’s jobs in the factories so families were loosing income
- poor laws: these forced those in need to enter the workhouses where conditions were terrible
Method 1 of Chartism?
Communication:
- William Lovett, People’s charter
William Lovett, People’s charter
In 1836, William Lovett founded the chartists
Initially they deployed peaceful methods which they called moral force
In 1838, they laid out their grievances in the People’s charter:
- votes for all me
- equally sized constituencies
- secret ballot
- wages for MP’s
- no property qualification
- annual parliaments
They sent 3 petitions to parliament, launched national newspapers and held mass gatherings
Method 2 of Chartism?
Violence:
- Newport rising, 1839
- plug plot riots, 1842
Newport rising, 1839
Chartists began to deploy violent methods which they called physical force
Rejection of the first petition lead to the Newport rising
- Nov, 1839, around 10,000 chartists and supporters tried to break some of their fellow campaigners from jail. Soldiers were waiting there and 20 chartists were killed
Plug plot riots, 1842
Rejection of the second petition lead to riots:
- feargus O’Connor became the leader of the movement
- he called for a general strike and for the establishment of a republic
- workers destroyed machinery that was taking their jobs
- this was known as plug plot riots
Short term significance of Chartism?
Limited:
- firstly, it became a divided movement
- secondly, the authorities cracked down on it
Firstly, it became a divided movement (explain)
It’s leaders failed to co operate, William Lovett wanted moral force, Feargus O’Connor wanted physical force
Without a unifying message, the movement was confused and weakened
Many moved off into other areas such as the co-operative movement:
- it has 50,000 members and 400 local branches
Secondly, the authorities cracked down on it (explain)
All three petitions were rejected due to false signatures and many chartists were imprisoned for rioting
100 chartists were transported to the Australian penal colony
The final chartist rally in 1848 was an anti-climax, only 50,000 came and only 10 were allowed to progress on towards Downing Street
Long term significance of Chartism?
Much greater:
- firstly, it’s central demands were all met within 50 years or so
- secondly, many former members moved into other working class movements
Firstly, it’s central demands were all met within 50 years or so (explain)
The reforms the chartists promoted in the 1830’s-40’s were eventually passed:
- 1872: secret ballot
- 1884: equally sized constituencies
- 1911: wages for MP’s
- 1918: no property qualifications to vote, all men could vote
However their call for annual elections hadent been met
Secondly, many former members moved into other working class movements (explain)
Many chartists used their campaigning skills to support the new trade union movement
Membership of unions doubled in the late 1800’s
- match girls strike succeeded
- dockers strike succeeded
Chartism boosted activism amongst the working class, creating pressure for a democratic reform
