Part 3 : the Extension of the Franchise Flashcards
1
Q
In the nineteenth century, why did the working class grow?
A
- due to the Industrial Revolution
2
Q
What did the working class demand in the nineteenth century?
A
Representation
3
Q
In the nineteenth century, who controlled the country?
A
The king and major landowners
4
Q
Who had no political representation in the nineteenth century?
A
The workers in new towns and cities
5
Q
Rotten boroughs…
A
Had no one living there but still sent two MPs into parliament
6
Q
Who were pocket boroughs controlled by in the nineteenth century ?
A
Rich individuals
7
Q
What was the problem with the qualification that allowed people the right to vote in Britain in the nineteenth century ?
A
- there was no standard property qualification that gave someone the right to vote
- in some places, people could vote if they had a fireplace and a door with a lock but in others people had to own a house
8
Q
Electoral system in potwalloper boroughs
A
People could vote if they had a fireplace and a door with a lock
9
Q
Who did not have the vote in the nineteenth century?
A
Women
10
Q
In the nineteenth century, no secret…
A
ballot meant that voters could be bribed or intimidated as everyone knew who they were voting for
11
Q
What event happened as a result with the problems with the electoral system in the nineteenth century?
A
The Peterloo Massacre
12
Q
When was the Peterloo Massacre?
A
1819
13
Q
What was the Peterloo Massacre?
A
- 1819 - when 60,000 workers in Manchester went to St Peter’s Field to hear Henry Hunt speak
14
Q
What was Hunt calling for?
A
a reform to parliament
15
Q
How did the local magistrate react to the peterloo massacre?
A
- panicked when they saw the crowd
- government were worried about large crowds after the French Revolution
- called the local troops
16
Q
What happened within 10 minutes of the peterloo massacre?
A
- over 600 people had been injured
- 15 killed
17
Q
What were the consequences of the peterloo massacre?
A
- over 600 people had been injured
- 15 killed
- hunt arrested and imprisoned
- AFTER PETERLOO, the Six Acts were introduced which stated that any meeting of more than 50 people for radical reform was an act of treason
18
Q
What did the Six Acts state?
A
- stated that any meeting of more than 50 people for radical reform was an act of treason
19
Q
What was the process of improving the electoral system called?
A
Extending the franchise
20
Q
After the peterloo massacre, the working and middle classes still needed change….
A
so they decided that instead of protesting, they would try to persuade the government to change things and extend the franchise.
21
Q
Describe one way in which some important steps were taken in trying to persuade the government to extend the franchise in the nineteenth century.
A
- Thomas Attwood from Birmingham formed the Birmingham Political Union of the Lower and Middle Classes of People in 1829
22
Q
What did Thomas Attwood and his Birmingham Political Union of the Lower and Middle Classes of People do in 1829?
A
- along with 8,000 others - sent a petition which demanded reform
23
Q
What did Attwood and the 8,000 others want in their petition?
A
- shorter parliaments
- the end of property qualifications
- the vote for all men who contributed taxes
24
Q
What would shorter parliaments mean?
A
Would make it harder to buy votes.
25
What was Attwood’s union renamed and what did they vow to do?
- the Birmingham Political Union (BPU)
- vowed to cooperate with the law
26
What did the BPU influence?
- BPU was copied across the country
27
When Attwood called for people not to pay their taxes…
the king and government were worried
28
What happened in the election and to the monarch in 1830 which promoted change to the electoral system?
- Tory party was replaced by the Whig party led by Earl Grey
- George III died and was succeeded by William IV
- both the Whigs and William IV were more progressive and open to reform
29
What did Earl Grey, leader of the Whig party, try to do?
- tried three times to pass laws for a reform act but the House of Lords would not pass it
30
Why would the House of Lords not pass laws for a reform act?
They did not want ordinary people to have more power by being represented in parliament.
31
What happened on Earl Grey’s third attempt to pass a reform act?
- Earl Grey requested that the king appoint more lords who were Whigs or sympathetic to reform
- scared they would lose power and influence, the Tory lords passed the Great Reform Act in 1832
32
When was the Great Reform Act passed?
1832
33
What were the main points of the Great Reform Act of 1832?
- 56 very small locations lose the right to elect their own MPs
- 30 other smaller towns lose one MP
- London and other large towns and cities are given more MPs
- people who earn over £150 per year can vote
- voters increase from 435,000 to 642,000
34
As a result of the Great Reform Act of 1832, 56 very small locations…
lose the right to elect their own MPs
35
As a result of the Great Reform Act of 1832, 30 other smaller towns…
lose one MP
36
As a result of the Great Reform Act of 1832, London and other large towns…
are given more MPs
37
As a result of the Great Reform Act of 1832, people who earn over…
£150 per year can vote
38
As a result of the Great Reform Act of 1832, voters increase from….
435,000 to 642,000
39
How great was the Great Reform Act of 1832 for the middle class?
- merchants and industrialists gained more representation
- rotten boroughs were removed and new towns and cities got an MP
40
How great was the Great Reform Act of 1832 for the working class?
- most working-class people didn’t earn enough to vote
- no secret ballot meant that those who could vote had to vote for their factory owner/landowner
41
Ultimately, what did the Great Reform Act of 1832 do?
- reduce the power of the king and landowners
- proved that change was possible
42
Even after the Great Reform Act, the working-class men did not own property worth…
at least £10, so they did not get the vote.
43
Through the anger of the working-class men….
the Chartist movement was born.
44
What were the three categories of causes for Chartism?
- social
- economic
- political
45
Social causes for Chartism
- most workers in the new towns and cities lived in poor conditions
- bad harvests in the 1830s meant that many farmworkers couldn’t feed their families
46
Economic causes of Chartism
- skilled workers no longer needed because of the new machines in factories
- the poor law of 1834 sent people with financial problems to the workhouse
47
What did the Poor Law of 1834 do to the working-class?
sent people with financial problems to the work-house
48
Political causes of Chartism
- the Great Reform Act of 1832 did not give the working class the vote
- there was still no secret ballot
49
When and how was the Chartist movement born?
- 1836
- when William Lovett from the London Working Men’s Association started a campaign with the support of Thomas Attwood and the BPU
50
What did the Chartists want?
For the MPs to be paid, because then the working class could become MPs and represent working people in parliament
51
The two leaders driving force for the Chartist movement
- William Lovett (moral force)
- Fergus O’Connor (physical force)
52
What were the moral actions taken by William Lovett to promote the Chartist movement?
- sent first petition to parliament in 1839 which was REJECTED
- sent second petition to parliament in 1842 which was REJECTED
- encouraged temperance among members to show they were disciplined and worthy of the vote
- edited a newspaper, ‘The Chartist’
53
What were the physical actions taken by Fergus O’Connor to promote the Chartist movement?
- called for violence after the rejection of the 1842 petition
- encouraged worker to damage machinery
- called for a general strike and a republic
- sent a THIRD petition to parliament in 1848 after return of economic and agricultural depression in 1847 - REJECTED
- established the more radical newspaper - ‘Northern Star’
54
What was the plug plot?
- Fergus O’Connor encouraging workers to damage machinery
55
The government was worried about the actions of the Chartists so it…
- rejected petitions
- put up posters asking people not to attend Chartist meetings
- arrested Chartists regularly
- transported Chartists to countries like Australia
56
When was the Newport Rising?
1839
57
Describe the Newport Rising of 1839.
- unemployment was higher than the national average
- many people were starving
- protestors planned to release their leader from prison
- soldiers guarding the prison opened fire and 22 men were killed
58
Describe what happened when Fergus O’Connor sent the 3rd petition to parliament in 1848 after the economic and agricultural depression in 1847.
- O’Connor and fewer than 50,000 supporters met on Kensington Common in London on 10th April 1848
- The authorities expected more, so had prepared troops and thousands of police to stop O’Connor’s supporters entering the city
- O’Connor had to take the petition into London himself
59
How many signatures did O’Connor’s 3rd petition have?
- said to have 5 million signatures
- only had 2 million and many names were forged
- including Queen Victoria’s name
- government saw the whole thing as a farce
60
Why was Chartism a failure in the short term?
- strong parliamentary opposition
- standard of living started to increase during 1850s
- alternative working class movements grew
- the divided leadership of Lovett and O’Connor
- lacked one clear message
61
How were the campaigns for electoral reform a success in the long term?
- five of the chartists’ six aims were achieved by 1928
62
What were the Chartists’ aims?
- votes for all men
- equal-sized constituencies
- secret ballot
- wages for MPs
- no property qualifications to be able to vote
- an election every year
63
When was the Chartists’ aim of votes for all men achieved?
1918
64
When was the Chartists’ aim of equal-sized constituencies achieved?
1884
65
When was the Chartists’ aim of the secret ballot achieved?
1872
66
When was the Chartists’ aim of Wages for MPs achieved?
1911
67
When was the Chartists’ aim of no property qualifications to be able to vote achieved?
1918 (men)
68
When was the Chartists’ aim of an election every year achieved?
Never
