French Wars: Politics/ Social Unrest

Question 1

How did British authorities manage war efforts more directly?

Answer 1

• centralisation of government control during the war
• the War Ministries and creation of Secretary of State for War ensured better coordination of military campaigns and logistics

Question 2

What did the Treasonable Practices Act do?

Answer 2

•1795
• gave authorities broader powers to arrest and prosecute anyone suspected of treason

Question 3

How were radical movements repressed during the French Wars?

Answer 3

• the Six Acts introduced in 1819 following the 1819 Peterloo massacre
• Restricted public meetings, limited press freedoms, allowed harsher penalties for sedition

Question 4

What was Luddism and when did it take place?

Answer 4

• 1811-1816
• The economic challenges of the war, including inflation and unemployment, led to Luddite uprisings
• In textile regions of the Midlands and Northern England, workers destroyed machines they blamed for job losses, particularly stocking frames (knitting machines)

Question 5

What was the government response to Luddism?

Answer 5

• Harsh, deployed the military to suppress uprisings
• 1812 Frame Breaking Act made machine breaking a capital crime
• many Luddite leaders were executed or transported to penal colonies

Question 6

What was the impact of the 1812 Frame Breaking Act on the working class?

Answer 6

• destruction of machinery was a direct result of the dire economic conditions caused by war, such as rising food prices and unemployment
• Luddite movement highlighted tensions between industrial progress and worker’s rights

Question 7

What was the Peterloo Massacre?

Answer 7

• 1819
• soldiers killed 18 people and injured over 600 at a peaceful rally in St Peter’s Field, Manchester
• illustrated working class social unrest and critical moment in British politics