part 3: reform and reformers- the extension of the franchise Flashcards
what were rotten boroughs?
areas that sent two MP’s to parliament even though no one lived there
what were pocket boroughs?
boroughs controlled by rich individuals who did not represent everyone’s needs
what was a secret ballot?
people had to say in public who they were voting for
what was a potwalloper borough?
people that could vote because they had a fireplace and a locked door
what were the 6 acts?
any meeting of more than 50 people for radical reform was an act of treason
in the early 19th century who controlled the country?
the king and those who owned land and titles
what was used to prove people had a fireplace and a locked door?
men would rattle their keys on top of a cooking pot
when was the gathering in St Peter’s Fields?
in 1819
what was the St Peter’s Fields gathering like?
a peaceful protest where the 60000 protestors listened to speeches by radicals such as Henry Hunt
what did the local magistrate do when they were informed of the gathering at St Peter’s Fields?
they called the local militia in- the militia were drunk
what did the local militia do?
within 10 minutes, 600 people were wounded and 15 were killed
what was the gathering at St Peter’s Fields known as?
the Peterloo Massacre
when did the government introduce the 6 acts?
after the Peterloo Massacre
what were the problems with Britain’s electoral system?
no secret ballot
people could easily be bribed into voting for something
some people were sacked if they did not vote for the right candidate
women were not allowed to vote
which political party were in power in the early 19th century?
the Tory party who were against reform
when were the Tory party voted out of government?
1830
who were the Tory party replaced by?
the Whig party led by Earl Grey
who replaced King George IV in 1830?
King William IV
who formed the Birmingham Political Union of the Lower and Middle Classes of People in 1829?
Thomas Attwood
what did Attwood do?
along with 8000 others, they sent a petition to Parliament for reform
what did Attwood and 8000 others want?
shorter parliaments
the end of property qualifications
a vote for all men who contributed to local or national taxes
what was the union renamed as?
Birmingham Political Union (BPU)
how many times did Earl Grey’s Whig party try to pass laws for a reform act?
3 times
why did the House of Lords not pass the reform act?
the House of Lords is full of barons and nobles, meaning that they did not want to pass an act that would give more power to the ordinary people by having them represented in Parliament
what did Earl Grey do on the 3rd attempt?
he went to the king and requested that Lords be appointed who were Whigs or at least sympathetic to reform
what did the existing lords think about Earl Grey’s 3rd attempt?
they were horrified at the idea because it meant that the Tory lords would lose some of the power to the Whigs
when did the Great Reform Act get passed?
1832
who did well out of the Great Reform Act?
middle class- merchants and industrialists gained more representation and were happier that their interests were being considered
what happened to rotten boroughs under the Great Reform Act?
they were removed and new towns, such as Birmingham were allowed to elect MP’s
what did the working class think of the Great Reform Act?
they were unhappy about it being called “great”
they were not given a vote
why were the working class not given a vote>
most only earned around £50 a year
when was the secret ballot announced?
1872
what was voting like for the few working class men who could vote?
they were forced to vote for their factory or landowner
how many men in Britain could vote?
only 1 in 7
what were the main points of the Great Reform Act?
56 very small locations lose the right to elect their own MP’s
30 other smaller towns lose one MP
London and other large towns and cities are given more MP’s
people who earn £150 a year can vote
voters increase from 435,000 to 652,000
who were the Chartists?
a group of like-minded people with clear aims that focused around equal representation for the working class
what were the causes of Chartism?
the working class had poor living and working conditions- they were losing work due to the Industrial Revolution and the useless Poor Laws did not help the country with the problem of poor harvests
when were the Poor Laws reformed?
1834
when was the Chartist movement formed?
1836
who started the Chartist movement?
William Lovett from the London Working Men’s Association- he started a campaign that was quickly adopted around the country
who joined the movement?
Thomas Attwood and the BPU
when was the national Chartist convention held?
in Birmingham in 1839
what were the aims of the Chartists (the peoples charter)?
votes for all men
equal sized constituencies
voting in secret
wages for MP’s
no property qualifications to be able to vote
an election every year
when was the first petition sent to parliament?
1839
what type of Chartists were angry that the petition was rejected?
Chartists in South Wales due to unemployment here being higher than average and many people were starving
what did the Chartists in South Wales do?
they marched on Newport in November 1839
what happened to the Chartists in South Wales?
22 of them were killed bey the Newport authorities who were guarding the prison where one of the Chartists leader was being held
when was another petition sent to parliament?
1842
who was the leader of the Chartist movement in 1842?
Feargus O’Conner
what did Feargus O’Conner do?
he called for violent actions to pressurise parliament into agreeing to the demands
what was the plug plot?
workers in factories in the North of England started to vandalise machinery
what did O’Conner call for?
a general strike and called for a British Republic
what did the government do because they were so concerned by the Chartists?
they moved Queen Victoria to the Isle of Wight
when did the economic and agricultural depression return to Britain?
1847
what did Lovett want?
he was committed to education and reform through the cooperative movement
what did Lovett and other leaders also promote?
temperance- parliament would have to take the Chartists seriously if they were sober- this would show that the working class people were disciplined and worthy of the vote
what type of reform was O’Conner interested in?
land reform
what did O’Conner believe about land?
he felt that everyone was entitled to land and that if they hand land, they could leave the factory towns and the problems they faced there
what was one of the most significant areas where land reform took place renamed as?
O’Connorville
why did the government fear the Chartists?
they were able to mobilise large groups of people from all classes
what was the Chartists newspaper called?
the Northern Star
what did the government do to try and stop the Chartists?
they put up posters in towns asking people not to attend Chartist meetings
they would freely arrest Chartists
what was one tool the government used to deter people from pushing for reform?
transportation- people were transported to Australia as punishment- this threat was enough to dissuade people from joining the Chartist movement
when was the 3rd Chartist petition taken to Parliament?
1848
what happened on 10th April 1848?
O’Connor and fewer than 50,000 supporters met on Kensington Common in London on 10th April 1848
how many constables had arrived at Kensington Common?
85,000
how many signatures did the petition have?
over 5 million signatures- it actually had fewer than 2 million
what was the scandal around the signatures on the 3rd petition?
they were forged- O’Connor argued that this was because workers had to keep their identity a secret from their employers
was the Chartist movement a complete disaster?
no- one of the 6 aims of the People’s Charter were achieved by 1928
why did the Chartist movement fail in the short term?
there was strong parliamentary opposition- government suppression of local meetings and gatherings
the standard of living started to increase during the 1850’s and there were alternative working class movements such as trade unions and cooperatives
the divided leadership of Lovett and O’Connor
there was not one clear message and there were too many fringe groups
what was good about the Great Reform Act?
better constituencies
56 English boroughs were disenfranchised
increase in the electorate
number who could vote increased by nearly double
reduced the dominance of aristocracy
more middle class men became MP’s
why was the Great Reform Act not very good?
constituencies still varied greatly
the increase in the electorate was not enough
only 813,000 men out of 24 million could vote
only a small number from the middle classes gained the vote
landowners still dominated
dominant group in parliament remained the landed aristocracy
no secret ballot
MP’s still not paid
Parliament was still 7 years
women were still ignored
