Chartism Flashcards
Who drew up the People’s Charter?
William Lovett and the London Working Men’s Association
When was the People’s Charter drawn up?
1838
what did the People’s Charter resonate with?
the Magna Carta (the Great Charter) of 1215
what were the points of the People’s Charter?
- Universal Manhood Suffrage – every man over the age of 21 should have the vote
- No property qualification to become an MP
- Elections for the House of Commons to be every year
- Equality of representation through establishing electoral districts with the same number of electors
- Payment for MPs – proposed £500 salary
- Secret Ballot
when was the Chartist Decade?
1838-48
which PMs did the Chartist Decade affect?
- Melbourne
- Peel
- Russel
what was the Great Reform Act viewed as by leading radicals and the working class?
an act of trechary
why did the working class feel alienated form the British political system in wake of the GRA?
without the property qualification they were unable to vote
where was anti-Poor Law Amendment Act sentiment strongest?
in North England
increased mechanisation threatened the jobs of how many handloom weavers?
400,000
when was the Norther Star first published?
1837
who established the Northern Star?
Feargus O’Conner
where was the Norther Star first established?
Leeds
what percentage of the population lived in cities by 1851?
50%
why were working people in cities more prepared to challenge the government’s authority?
- distance from traditional local authorities
2. Higher concentration of people made it easier to disperse ideology
What did Royle say Chartism offered?
‘a programme of hope for those who saw themselves as victims of the power and control exerted by the enfranchised classes over the unenfranchised’
what can Chartism be seen as?
a ‘knife and fork question’
who created a ‘social tension chart’?
Rostow
What did Rostow create?
a ‘social tension chart’
what did Rostow’s ‘social tension chart’ do?
predicted years of high tension due to the state of the economy and bread prices
what years did Rostow predict to have been years of high tension during the Chartist decade?
1837-42 and 1847-48
What did Cobbet say?
‘I defy you to agitate a fellow with a full stomach’
What did Royle say Chartism can be seen as?
‘primarily a hunger-protest by the human refuse-tip of the early industrial labour force’
when did depression hit the textile industry?
1837-8
where were the textile districts?
East Midlands, Southern Lancashire and West Riding
how many workers were either unemployed or on short time in Manchester?
50,000
how many people in Manchester signed O’Conners petition in 1842?
99,000 (number second only to London)
what did General Sir Charles Napier describe Manchester as?
‘the entrance to hell realised’ (due to its squalid and polluted state)