Chartism - Fluctuations in Chartist Support Flashcards
London and the South - Where was initial support for Chartism?
Initial supports for the Chartist movement was from London and the South
London and the South - What was the foundation of the six points of the People’s Charter?
The foundation of the six points of the People’s Charter was the London Working Men’s Association, and half of the representatives at the first National Convention were from London
London and the South - What were the views of reps from the South like?
In general, representatives from the South were moderate in their intentions – as the Chartists came to be involved in more physical forms of protests, Southern support waned
London and the South - How did Northern involvement affect Southern influence?
Also as the Chartist movement became dominated by industrial workers, who tended to be from the North of England, Southern influence reduced
London and the South - What was the Southwest attitude to Chartism?
The Southwest was never a particular source of support for Chartism
Birmingham - How was Birmingham significant in the early days of Chartism?
Birmingham and the Birmingham Political Union was a significant supports for the early Chartist movement
Birmingham - What was the attitude of the Birmingham Chartists?
However, as with London, the Birmingham Chartists tended to be more moderate
Birmingham - What happened to Birmingham support after the riots associated with the first petition?
After the riots associated with the failure of the first petition in 1839, the BPU distanced themselves from the Chartists and support in Birmingham fell
The North - Importance of the North to Chartism and why?
The North was always important to the Chartist movement since the worst economic conditions and the most obvious politically-underrepresented areas were in the North
The North - Where were the major centres of support?
Leeds, Manchester, Stockport, Newcastle, and Glasgow were major centres of support, and in the first convention, almost half the representatives were Northern
The North - What happened as the Convention moved North?
As the convention moved North, the role of southern support reduced, and northern support became far more important
The North - What happened during the petition years?
During the petition years, particularly 1839-40, Chartist militias formed and drilled, and weapons were collected and manufactured
Middle class supporters - What was middle class support like at the start of the movement?
At the start, there were a number of middle class supporters of the Chartist movement
Middle class supporters - Was there sympathy from middle classes?
As it started with the economic problems of industrial areas, there was significant sympathy from middle class, and even landed supporters – there were even middle class supporters in the first National Convention
Middle class supporters - What happened to middle class support following Chartist violence?
However, following the Birmingham riots and the Newport uprising of 1839, the majority of middle-class support vanished
Middle class supporters - What happened in the North and what effect did this have on the middle classes?
Furthermore, in the North, Chartists took an Anti-Corn Law League stance, which alienated middle class support
Middle class supporters - Was middle class support going away the case everywhere?
This was not however the case universally, in Birmingham the Chartists took a more moderate stance and a group called the Complete Suffrage Union, which supported universal suffrage and the repeal of the Corn Laws – uniting working class and middle class support
Working class support - What happened after 1840?
After 1840, the Chartist movement was extremely working class – the ideas of Chartism attracted skilled workers whose livelihood was being affected by economic fluctuations and who were experiencing the impact of living in underrepresented urban areas
Working class support - Which groups in particular were attracted to the movement?
In particular, workers like coal miners and metal workers were attracted to the movement – factory workers did supports the movement, but not in such large numbers
Working class support - How did Chartism fit with working class values?
Also, the idea of communally working together and collecting signatures on petitions fitted well with the close-knit communities that many working class people lived in
Rural workers - Rural attitude towards Chartism?
Although working class, rural workers were largely unaffected by the Chartist movement and did not particularly support it
Rural workers - Why were urban stances towards Chartism the way they were?
They did not face the same circumstances as the urban workers and the Poor Law Amendment Act has in some cases benefited them, and they did not have the same problems of under-representation, though their franchise was still limited
Rural workers - What does the rural support also explain?
This also explains the North-South divide in Chartist support
Women - % of signatures on the three petitions from women?
Significant source of Chartist support was from women – estimated 20% of signatures on the three petitions were from women
Women - Examples of women’s divisions of Chartists groups
Many local Chartist groups has a women’s division EG the Hyde Chartist Society with 300 male and 200 female members, and the Birmingham Charter Association with 3000 female members
Women - Other useful things women did for Chartism?
Women were crucial to fundraising and running Chartist Sunday school – the influence of women was most important from 1839 to 1842, and it started to peter out after the second petition
