Chartism Flashcards
What were the chartists an evolution of?
Working Men’s Association
What did the chartists want to change about MPs?
They wanted to introduce a wage and to remove property qualifications
What would introducing an wage for MPs do?
Open parliament to members of every class and ensure that would be truly representative.
What was the Chartist Manifesto known as?
The People’s charter
What 6 things did Chartists call for?
- Equal representation
- Universal Manhood suffrage for all men over 21 years
- Annual Parliaments
- The removal of property qualifications for MPs
- Payment of MPs
- Secret Ballot
What did Chartism do in view of political reform and the public?
It made it topical and brought it back into the public eye
What was the motivation behind their demands?
When their vote was protected any successive parliaments could not ignore them or would be held accountable if they did. Parliament would also start to become accessible to the working classes.
What socioeconomic group were the Chartists mainly made up of?
Working class
Other than working class what socioeconomic group made up Chartists?
Middle-class reformers who wanted to build on the foundation laid by the 1832 reform act
What could be said is both Chartism’s strength and weakness?
Diverse membership
During times of economic prosperity what happened to Chartism’s membership?
Membership declined as working people felt that that their conditions were acceptable because they could earn good wages
During times of economic decline what happened to Chartism’s membership?
Membership[p grew as people saw Chartism as a means ti produce a better deal for themselves.
What did JR Stephens suggest about Chartism?
Because of the fluctuations in its membership he suggested that Chartism was only a product of the economics climate and only sought political change to reduce economic suffering.
What made Chartism fundamentally less effective?
Poor leadership
What were Chartists divided over?
How to achieve their aims
Give two examples of Chartists who supported non violent methods
Thomas Attwood and William Lovvett
Give two examples of Chartists’ non violent methods
Petitions and Pamphlets
What were peaceful Chartists such as Thomas Attwood and William Lovett known as?
Moral Force chartists
Why did moral force Chartists such as Thomas Attwood and William Lovett think peaceful methods were better?
Parliament would listen to peaceful requests over forceful demands. They reasoned that as the majority of voters were now middle class they would win more favour through respectful methods and not promoting the image held of the working class as brutish and ignorant.
What were chartists who used more radical methods known as?
Physical force chartists
Give three examples of physical force chartists
Feargus O’Connor, James Bronterre O’Brien and George Julian Harney
When did Chartism present its first petitions to parliament ?
May 1839
How many people had signed the May 1839 chartist petition?
1 280 958
What principles did the values of Chartism echo?
The book: the rights of man, written 40 years earlier in 1791 by Thomas Paine
What did the government do to the May 1839 petition?
Rejected it with a majority vote of 23 to just 46
