Chartism basics Flashcards
what were the origins of chartism?
- Disillusionment after 1832
- William Lovett, LWMA and Thomas Atwood assume key roles
- put together six points of the charter, and begin the petitions
How did chartism initially pick up pace?
- Joined by activists such as Feargus O’Connor (who had been resisting the poor law in the north)
- Municipal Corporations Act suggested laws pass to benefit those enfranchised in 1832
How did the first petition come about?
- Signatures collected at mass meetings
- Delegates appointed to national convention
- over 200,000 attended each of these meetings
- such events advertised in Northern Star (sold 50,000 copies per week)
Describe the nature of the first petition
- National Convention met in Feb 1839 claiming to represent all people
- collected 1.25 million signatures
- unprecedented size of petition and national coordination
How did the government react to the first petition?
July 1839
rejected by 235 votes to 46
less than half of MPs bothered to attend
What was the significance of the Northern Star?
- chartism emerged and sustained itself as a national movement
- O’Connor used profits to finance movement and build up defense funds for trials
- often read aloud to groups who shared the subscription cost
How did the National Convention evolve?
- became a discussion forum for strategy and how to react to rejection
- revealed disagreement and divisions (m/c vs w/c, moral vs physical force)
What was the sacred month?
- After the first petition was rejected, the NC hastily formed the idea of a general strike
- No local plans were made, and the idea lacked general support
- Authorities were careful nit to provide justification for a violent reaction
What was the Newport rising (1839)?
- 10,000 marched from south wales to Newport, mostly miners and iron workers
- armed and marching in military formation
- shots were exchanged with a small group of troops, 20 protesters killed
How did the government react to the Newport rising (1839)?
- local leaders including John Frost were convicted of treason and sentenced to death (changed to transportation to avoid martyrs)
- Lovett arrested after Birmingham riots
- O’Connor and other prominent chartists imprisoned
How did the chartists react to the Newport rising (1839)?
- learnt dangers of violence
- destroyed myths soldiers would not fire on them
- working class agitation directed down a constitutional path
What was the National Charter Association (NCA)?
- O’Connor helped form it in July 1840
- provided central organisation that chartism lacked
- first wc political party
- created sense of unity
how successful was the National Charter Association (NCA)?
- 1d weekly subscription, wide membership
- by 1842 : 400 affiliated branches, 50,000 members
What new directions did chartism assume in its second stage (1840-42)?
- In some areas ‘chartist culture’ emerged e.g. Nottingham
- Henry Vincent (welsh chartist leader) turned to teetotalism
- Move to christian chartism in Birmingham
- Lovett advocated knowledge chartism, which O’Connor denounced in the northern star
What was the complete suffrage movement?
- Attempt to unite the mc radical reformers with the chartists
- leaders such as Joseph Sturge were willing to work with Lovett but wary of O’Connor
- disagreed over tactics and failed
How did the Second Petition work out?
- 3 million signatures
- rejected by 287 votes to 49
- NC had no agreed alternative strategy
- ineffectiveness of peaceful petitioning shown
What problems did Britain face in 1842?
- economic depression
- unemployment and wage cuts
- mainstream wc activism drifted out of chartist control
- strikes in 23 counties
- plug riots forced factories to close down
how did the NCA react to the plug riots (1842)?
- faced with a strike they had not planned
- O’Connor was suspicious of the ACLL
- Leaders arrested for a strike they had not begun
How did the government react to the plug riots (1842)?
- stationed 6000 of General Napier’s troops around the country using newly built railways
- Mass arrests used by conservative gov elected in 1841
- by end of 1842, 1500 had been put on trial
Why did the economic depression (1842) end?
-Harvest of 1842-43 was good
describe the economic recovery and loss of mass support in 1843
- boom in railway building
- arrest of many leaders
- well known divisions in chartism
- wc men turn to trade unions
- conservatives passed reforms responding to distress in industrial areas
When were the corn laws repealed?
1846 (by conservative government who also reduced import duties on some foods
What was the land plan?
- O’connors scheme to set up rural chartist communities. -Chartists invited to by shares.
- could win plots of land to cultivate
Who was the land plan popular with?
- working class
- by 1848, 100,000 people had subscribed to five communities
How did the authorities respond to the land plan?
- hounded O’connor on legal grounds and financial mismanagement
- Leads to failure and discredits the chartist movement
Why did support for chartism increase by 1848?
- bad harvest - return of economic depression
- revolutions in Europe
What chatist events kicked of 1848?
- 3rd petition and convention in April
- Mass meeting in Kennington common
How did the government react to Kennington common (1848)?
-7000 troops
4000 policemen
85,000 special constables (m/c)
Was Kennington common (1848) successful?
- Only attracted 20,000
- O’Connor agreed to terms that procession can’t cross Thames
- on examining the petition, many signatures were fake (“Queen Victoria”), so government rejects
How did the people react to the rejection of the third petition in 1848?
- Upsurge of violence in chartist heartlands of Yorkshire and Lancashire
- Many arrests made
- After 1848 there was a rapid decline in chartism
How were women involved in chartism?
- Heavily involved but overlooked, as they are not leaders and are not arrested
- Raised money
- Organised local activities
- Exclusive dealing
Did women’s involvement in Chartism change over time?
- role declines over course of movement
- role of women used to show chartists as less serious, so leaders lessened their role
- NCA also reduced involvement of women
Was women’s involvement in Chartism significant?
- Greater involvement went Chartism was at its strongest
- all support = strength?
- Undermined the movement somewhat
- Partly responsible for new directions
How were Trade unions involved in Chartism?
- originally rivals competing for support
- fairly close relations until 1842 strikes
Did Trade unions’ involvement in Chartism change over time?
-1842 as a turning point , skilled industrial workers concentrate on union campaigns (felt Chartism was unlikely to succeed
Was Trade unions’ involvement in Chartism significant?
-provide a different direction for campaigns after 1842. Symptom of Chartism rather than cause.
What was the relation between chartists and the ACLL?
- distraction from, and competition for, the chartists
- Tensions
- m/c organisation
Who were the leaders of the ACLL?
John Bright
Richard Cobden
What are the strengths of Moral force?
- retains moral high ground
- ensures focus on the strength of the cause
- proves worthiness of supporters
What are the weaknesses of Moral force?
- Naïve and unlikely to succeed
- allows authorities to easily deal with Chartism
What are the strengths of Physical force?
-best means of success, as they have greater numbers on their side
What are the weaknesses of Physical force?
- undermined moral case
- played in to the authorities hands
- counter productive
