Pressure for change 1832-46: Chartism Flashcards
When was the chartist movement formed?
1838
What was it set up to do?
Support working class political activity and agitate for political reform that would extend the franchise to working men, involve them in government and give them a platform to air their grievances
List the 6 main working class disappointments that led to the rise of the movement
- The fact that the GRA did not contain working class suffrage
- The fact that the factory act brought about no improvement in adult working conditions
- Anger at the imposition of the workhouse system through the poor law amendment act
- 1836-7 bad harvests led to a rise in the price of bread
- An economic slump meant that unemployment rose among the working class
- Frustration at TU’s and government’s treatment of the Toppuddle Martyrs
What had the working class become disillusioned with?
Government reforms, as they had failed to bring about improvement to their living or working conditions or their political status
What was their greatest disappointment?
The GRA excluding them from the franchise
Why did they resent the poor law amendment?
Because it humiliated them and made their plight worse
What became apparent to the working class after the poor law amendment act came into force in the industrial north in 1839?
That they were politically powerless to improve their conditions
What were the working class frustrated by the failure of?
Robert Owen’s Grand National Consolidated Trades Union in 1835 (GNCTU)
What did this failure thwart?
It ended hopes of labouring men organising themselves legally to negotiate better working conditions
Why had the Factory Act actually been counterproductive for adults?
Because it had led to an increase in their hours
Who influenced the chartist movement?
Middle class supporters like Fielden and Oastler and other radicals disenchanted with the limited nature of government reform
What did they convince the working class they should do?
Organise themselves to fight for their political rights
What was established in June 1836?
The London Working Men’s Association, with a reformist political programme
Who were the two key figures within the LWMA?
The secretary, William Lovett, and Francis Place
What six main demands did the LWMA have?
- universal male suffrage
- equal electoral districts
- annual parliaments
- payment of MPs
- secret ballots
- no property qualifications for candidates
How was the Chartist Movement established in 1838?
William Lovett called these six demands the ‘people’s charter’. This was endorsed at a BPU meeting and the movement was born
Explain the composition of the movement
Varied, drawing support from several protest groups
Why was strong singular leadership virtually impossible within the movement?
Because the movement contained such a wide variety of groups and aims
How did the charter cause internal disagreement?
Because there were large differences on how these would be best achieved
Who represented the moderate wing of the movement?
William Lovett and Thomas Attwood
Explain the moderate view
Believed in persuasion rather than force. Lovett believed that education was vital in order to deal effectively with social and political problems. Attwood thought that petitioning parliament was the best way of achieving success
Where did the more extreme chartists operate and why?
In the smaller northern industrial towns, as they had suffered in the greatest poverty since the wars
Who was Feargus O’Connor and what did he threaten to do?
The editor of the Northern Star, an influential chartist newspaper in Leeds. He threatened to use physical force to achieve the chartist demands
Explain the first unifying chartist event in 1839
A Chartist convention of 39 delegates met in London and drew up the people’s charter. The petition gained 1.25 million signatures and was presented to parliament but was overwhelmingly rejected by the whigs and tories
What did this rejection mean within the movement?
It led to the first proper clash between the moderates and radicals
What did O’Connor call for following the rejection?
He wanted to respond with threats of violence and intimidation, disturbing the moderates
When did the Newport Rising take place?
Nov 1839
What prompted the Newport Rising
Discontent at the appalling conditions in the coal mines and the iron foundries there
How did the Whig government respond to the Newport Rising?
Hundreds of chartist supporters were beaten down by 30 armed soldiers, leaving 24 chartists dead. Chartist leaders were imprisoned and the movement seemed to lose impetus
What did the Newport Rising confirm?
Middle class concerns about chartism
Who was singled out as a consequence of the Newport Rising and what was the consequence of this?
Lovett was imprisoned for sedition and disorder, giving O’Connell an opportunity to promote his ideas and methods
Explain how the movement lost its thrust in 1840
There was an economic revival, sapping the movements vitality, as the men who had supported so passionately faded into the background now they had food, wages and work
What had happened within the movement by 1842?
Lovett lost ground as leader of the movement, allowing Feargus O’Connor to establish himself as the popular leader
How was the movement reignited in 1842?
There was a slump in trade, wages fell and there was widespread unemployment and distress, which meant that working class agitation was back again
What happened to the second petition?
It received 3 million signatures - it was ridiculed in parliament and dismissed
What was the Plug Plot?
A strike at Ashton Under Lyne spread rapidly to other industrial towns, where the boiler plugs of steam engines were knocked out to prevent factories and other works from operating
What was the reaction to the plug plot?
It was regarded by the government as subversive and conspiratorial, but it acted as a rallying call for the chartist supporters
How did the Peel government respond and what did this mean for the movement?
They used the newly operational local police forces to deal firmly and quickly with the unrest. Many arrests and harsh sentences were handed out, meaning that chartist activity faded
What happened to the chartist movement between 1842-6?
There was a period of economic recovery, a reduction in unemployment and a subsequent lessening in support for the movement
How can O’Connell be seen as losing his nerve following the Plug Plot?
Because he denounced it in the Northern Star
What happened as O’Connell’s influence waned?
Circulation of the Northern Star decreased
Which organisations gained ground at the expense of the chartists?
The anti corn law league and the trade unions
Why was there often political apathy from the working class?
Because they couldn’t see the connection between political reform and their conditions
In what decade did chartism reach its peak?
The 1830s
What was the main reason chartism died down?
Depression was giving way to a long period of prosperity and so the working class lost interest in the idea of political reform
