Leadership and Support

Question 1

In which areas was there a lot of working class support for Chartism?

Answer 1

Industrial areas - Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Yorkshire, South Lancashire.

Question 2

Which area was increasingly the centre/backbone of Chartist support?

Answer 2

The north of England and Midlands.

Question 3

Where were the textile districts which had well organised local groups?

Answer 3

Manchester and surrounding towns.

Question 4

What union was based in the Midlands and why was this important?

Answer 4

Birmingham Political Union (BPU) it attracted significant support for early Chartism.

Question 5

Why did support for Chartism in Birmingham fall after the failure of the first petition?

Answer 5

After the riots the BPU distanced itself from the Chartists and support in Birmingham fell.

Question 6

How did the close-knit communities of w/c men (coal miners and metal workers) aid the Chartist movement?

Answer 6

These close-knit communities made it easier to organise mass meetings and collect signatures.

Question 7

What was support like in the rural south from the w/c throughout the period?

Answer 7

Lack of support throughout.

Question 8

Why was there a lack of support from w/c people in the rural south?

Answer 8

Rural farm workers were largely unaffected by many of the issues that attracted others to the movement e.g. Poor Law Amendment Act / underrepresentation in Parliament.

Question 9

What attracted many people living in northern industrial towns to Chartism?

Answer 9

1. Economic issues exacerbated by government action e.g. Poor Law Amendment Act
2. Underrepresentation in Parliament e.g. Leeds, Manchester
3. Political disillusionment

Question 10

What was support like in London?

Answer 10

Lack of support through majority of period, although gets slightly better later on.

Question 11

Why was there a lack of support in London?

Answer 11

1. Lacked the community of industrial towns.
2. London radicals were divided amongst themselves.
3. London workers received higher wages than the rest of the country and were protected from unemployment rises in the late 1830s.

Question 12

Why was there more support in London in the 1840s?

Answer 12

1. There was an economic depression in London 1841-42 but revived shortly after.
2. It was the headquarters for the ‘Northern Star’ in 1843-44.

Question 13

What was support like among the m/c in the late 1830s?

Answer 13

Moderate support. There were early attempts to unite the Chartists to the Anti-Corn Law League. The Complete Suffrage Union was formed in 1842 which shared the same aims as Chartism and wanted to unite middle class and working classes together.

Question 14

What was support like among the m/c after 1842?

Answer 14

Insignificant. The Complete Suffrage Union collapsed. The economic concerns of m/c traders proved to be too different to w/c ambitions.

Question 15

What was support like among women in the late 1830s?

Answer 15

There was substantial support in 1839 with women having signed 1/3 of the signatures on the first petition. Many women were also involved in Chartist Sunday schools and only used shops which supported the Chartist cause.

Question 16

Why did support from women decline in the 1840s?

Answer 16

Support from women was insignificant after 1842. The National Charter Association (NCA) meetings were in pubs, which were male-dominated spaces, and the Kennington Common was an exclusively male event.

Question 17

What evidence is there that Chartism existed across the country (and was therefore a national movement)?

Answer 17

1. ‘The Northern Star’ was a national newspaper selling 36,000 copies per issue.
2. Support was particularly strong in the North and the Midlands - textile towns of Lancashire and Yorkshire.

Question 18

What evidence is there that Chartism did not exist across the country?

Answer 18

1. The support was disproportionate between the north and the rural south - less than 1% if support was in Suffolk.
2. Only Northern industrial support remained after 1842.

Question 19

What evidence is there that Chartism represented different groups and interests?

Answer 19

1. Early on there was support from women and the middle class.
2. Much of the w/c did have real political interests and wanted reform.

Question 20

What evidence is there that Chartism did not represent different groups and interests?

Answer 20

1. The support from the m/c was disingenuous and fizzled out after 1842.
2. Support from women declined in 1840s.
3. Support was mainly drawn from skilled workers who lost out from industrialization, not all of the w/c had these interests or priorities.

Question 21

What evidence is there that Chartism was an organised and coherent movement?

Answer 21

1. Feargus O’Connor provided inspirational leadership.
2. Very organised in their collection of signatures, putting up placards, presenting petitions to parliament.
3. Organised all of their aims into a 6 point charter.
4. They agreed over tactics - petitions, newspapers.

Question 22

What evidence is there that Chartism was neither an organised nor coherent movement?

Answer 22

1. The Chartists were split between moral and physical force and also had different aims.
2. The National Convention and National Charter Association both lacked clear leadership and direction.
3. Support depended on economic situations and fluctuated accordingly.

Question 23

Who was Feargus O’Connor?

Answer 23

A lawyer; he was elected MP for County Cork in 1832; supported limits on working hours, the Tolpuddle Martyrs and opposed the New Poor Law which won him support from London radicals.

Question 24

What does Feargus O’Connor represent in relation to the Chartist movement?

Answer 24

1. Represents the ‘physical force’ side of Chartism.
2. To O’Connor, this militant language and threat of violence was a political strategy.

Question 25

Where is there evidence that the threat of violence was just political strategy to O’Connor?

Answer 25

1. He avoided involvement in the Newport Rising 1839.
2. He avoided clashing with the authorities in 1848.
3. He usually supported peaceful methods as he understood that the w/c could not beat the authorities.

Question 26

What was ‘the Northern Star’ and how did it aid the Chartist movement?

Answer 26

Feargus O’Connor’s national newspaper set up in 1837. It helped to maintain Chartism as a national, unified political force and the profits were used to fund Chartist trials.

Question 27

What happened to O’Connor in 1840?

Answer 27

He was found guilty of printing seditious libels and was imprisoned for 18 months.

Question 28

What did O’Connor focus on from 1845-48?

Answer 28

He set up the Chartist Land Plan which was an attempt to enfranchise working class people by giving them sufficient land to meet the qualification requirement under the 1832 Reform Act. However, despite popular support, it was shut down on a legal technicality.

Question 29

What was O’Connor elected for in 1847?

Answer 29

To be an MP for Nottingham; in this capacity he presented the 1848 petition.

Question 30

What positive qualities did O’Connor possess?

Answer 30

He was a powerful speaker, known to be flamboyant and engaging.

Question 31

What were the criticisms of O’Connor at the time?

Answer 31

1. Lovett and ‘moral force’ Chartists criticised his use of violent language and his raising unrealistic expectations in his listeners.
2. Accused of being arrogant and a rabble-rouser.
3. His land plan was accused of being backward looking and impractical.

Question 32

Who was William Lovett?

Answer 32

He founded the London Working Men’s Association in 1836 from which Chartism emerged. He also wrote the Six Points of the Charter.

Question 33

What were William Lovett’s beliefs?

Answer 33

1. He is strongly associated with ‘moral force’ chartism and clashed with O’Connor over his rhetoric strategy.
2. He believed that universal male suffrage could only be achieved by demonstrating that the w/c were worthy of political power through responsible behavior.
3. He believed it was essential to educate the w/c, making them worthy of the vote and convincing the m/c that they could use it intelligently.

Question 34

What did William Lovett do in 1839?

Answer 34

1. He was a leading member of the National Convention.
2. He was also arrested and spent one year in prison for seditious libel.
3. Whilst in prison he proposed a national system of education funded by penny tax on all who signed the petition.

Question 35

What did William Lovett focus on after his release from prison?

Answer 35

He focused more on educational reform and self-help, commonly known as ‘Knowledge Chartism.’ His scheme ‘the National Association for the Moral, Social and Political Improvement of the People,’ (1840) had become increasingly marginalised from mainstream Chartism by 1842.

Question 36

What were the positive attributes of Lovett?

Answer 36

1. He was useful in matters of business.
2. Everything he attempted was almost certain of accomplishment.
3. He had a clear and masterly intellect and great powers of application.

Question 37

What were some criticisms of / disagreements with Lovett at the time?

Answer 37

1. O’Connor was furious with Lovett’s scheme set up in 1840, claiming it would destroy Chartist unity.
2. O’Connor used his prominent position and ‘the Northern Star’ to stir up opposition to Lovett.
3. Lovett claimed that O’Connor was politically and morally dishonest.