Eleven. Pressure for Change. Flashcards
What did Britain struggle with after 1811?
The effects of change in agriculture and industry, high prices and increased taxation introduced because of Napoleonic Wars and lack of efficient system of poor relief. The government adopted a repressive attitude to deal with distress and violence.
What happened regarding rioting?
Began in Nottinghamshire in 1811.
Groups of men believed that the machinery being used in the textile industry was depriving them of their livelihoods. The machine breakers operated at night and rumour spread that they were led by Ned Ludd. It spread around England, and caused the government real alarm.
How did the rioting escalate in 1812?
A prominent woollen manufacturer, William Harsfall was murdered by 4 luddites and soldiers were drafted to keep order after the rioting continued.
How did the Luddite resistance end?
After a spate of arrests, trials, transportations and hangings. The government imposed severe penalties on convicted rioters and machine breakers.
What is one problem in understanding luddite motivations?
There is an absence of reliable evidence, no documentation from the luddites, and information from trials came from spies, informants or alarmist local magistrates.
There is debate surrounding whether the movement was from uneducated men fearing a threat to their jobs, or a highly organised revolutionary movement.
What happened after 1815?
There was a revival of Radical agitation for political reform, more focused and determined than the earlier phase under Pitt. It was mainly middle class.
What was the situation regarding Radicalism in Parliament?
Used his seat in Parliament to fight for the abolition of slavery. There were several radical politicians but they were independent and pursued their own interests, rather than fighting together.
What was the newspaper Manchester Guardian?
- Acted as a mouthpiece for Middle class manufacturers who started to press for reform in large, unrepresented towns of North of England.
What was the situation regarding the working classes and radicalism?
Working classes focused discontent on low wages, unemployment and the inadequate system of poor relief and expressed it through riots and disturbances, but were becoming more politicised and interested in achieving political influence through the extension of the franchise.
What happened at the Peterloo Massacre?
Meeting at St Peter’s field in Manchester in 1819. Stemmed from grievances of Lancashire weavers that their employers refused to agree to a minimum wage. Henry Hunt (strong supporter of political reform) was to speak at the meeting. Hunt was arrested, 11 people in the crowd were killed and hundreds injured,
Six Acts were passed as a result.
When did working class agitation subside?
With the economic recovery of the early 1820s however the economy soon went downhill. In 1830 disturbances took an uglier turn and a series of letters appeared, issuing threats against local landowners and farmers, signed ‘Captain Swing’, and became known as the Swing Riots.
Anti-Slavery Movement
1787, society of the abolition of the slave trade formed.
They put pressure on the Government to bring an end to trading in African slaves. They published pamphlets to shock a mainly MC and increasingly literate audience about inhumane conditions suffered by black African slaves and began to raise public conciousness. The leading campaigner was William Wilberforce.
Who were the Claphamites?
William Wilberforce was part of them. They encouraged righteousness and improvement in morality. They launched a Propaganda campaign.
What happened in 1807?
An act ended the trading in slaves and was passed without much fuss, but did not help those already enslaved in British colonies.
When did the issue regarding the slave trade resurface?
- After the Napoleonic Wars. Britain was going to hand some African and Caribbean spoils of War to their former European ‘owners’ and people became anxious that the slave trade would build up as a result. Discussion stimuated new interest in tacking continued use f slaves in British territories and within Britain.
An act to prevent this wasn’t passed until 1833.
In 1823, Wilberforce and Buxton formed an anti-slavery society.
