Chartism - Why did Chartism Fail to Achieve its Aims? Flashcards
Rejection of the petitions by P - What happened to the petitions in P?
Petitions presented three times, and were rejected each time by a large majority
Rejection of the petitions by P - What did P rejections lead to for the campaigners?
Campaigners became disillusioned – the numbers of signatures on the third petition was low compared to the first two
Divisions among the leadership - What did Lovett originally want?
Lovett originally wanted to include female suffrage, but this was overruled by his fellow Chartist leaders
Divisions among the leadership - What did disagreements over methods lead to?
Disagreement over the importance of protesting by argument or violence led to confusion and conflict when unity was required
Divisions among the leadership - Difference in interests between O’Connor and Lovett?
Lovett was particularly interested in education as a solution – O’Connor was interested in land sharing – some leaders emphasised a Methodist, teetotal approach, while Scottish leaders focused on a mainstream Chartist approach
Divisions among the leadership - Was there a single decision making body and what were the leaders not willing to do?
There was no single decision-making body and leaders were not willing to compromise
Class divisions - Differences between the working and middle classes?
The violence associated with the working classes did not motivate middle classes to united with them – the movement was still strong without the middle classes, but would have been harder to oppose if it was unified
Conflict with others protests and reforms - Impact of the 1847 Factory Act and the 1848 Public Health Act?
The 1847 Factory Act reduced the working week for factory workers, and the 1848 Public Health Act started to improve conditions in urban areas, which weakened support for Chartism
Conflict with others protests and reforms - Impact of the anti-corn league
The Anti-Corn Law League caused division – some Chartists, especially moderates and the middle-classes, wanted to support it, more radical northern members wanted to oppose it and still others thought it should be ignored
Aims being too ambitious - When were the six points eventually passed?
It took until 1928 for five of the six points of the People’s Charter to be achieved
Aims being too ambitious - Status of annual elections?
Annual general elections never became part of the constitution
Aims being too ambitious - How may the Chartists have achieved more?
Had the chartists followed a single, focused aim such as universal suffrage, they may have achieved more
Inconsistent support - Examples of fluctuating support?
Support was stronger in the years which coincided with economic hardship, notably the petition years of 1839, 1842, and 1848
Effective gov tactics - What did the gov tactics do?
Gov arrests led to short prison sentences for leaders – most leaders served time in prison leading the movement directionless
Damage to the reputation of the Chartist movement - The Kennington March
The Kennington March – after a lot of worry about a mass march, relatively few marchers turned up and dispersed peacefully