Protest during 19th Century in industrial Britain Flashcards
When were the Combination Acts passed?
1799/1800
In what year did the Luddite protest start?
1811
In what areas did the Luddite protests take place?
Nottingham, and the north of England
How did the government respond to the Luddite protest?
Brought in the Frame Breaking Act of 1812
What was the name of the mythical leader of the Luddites?
Ned Ludd
What was the motivation of the Luddites?
handloom workers whose jobs were being replaced by steam-powered looms
How long did the Luddite protest last?
6 Years
What extreme action happened a year after the Luddites began?
An outspoken anti-Luddite mill owner, William Horsfall was shot dead outside Huddersfield
When did the Swing Riots take place?
1830-1831
What was the difference between the Luddite and the Swing Riots?
Industrial versus agrarian protest
Give 5 reasons for the outbreak of the Swing Riots
Poor harvests in the late 1820s, introduction of the threshing machine, winter unemployment as a result of the new machine, poverty, hunger
Why did the Swing Riots shock the government? Give 4 reasons.
Because in times past agricultural workers were seen as docile and not liable to riot, they employed the same tactics as the industrial workers/Luddites, fear of revolution, landed gentry and their role in parliament
What action did the Swing rioters take?
threatening letters, signed Captain Swing, hayricks burned, intimidation, breaking of threshing machines
What is interesting about the reaction to the Swing rioters by local magistrates?
Often treated with leniency, only 19 executed, a degree of sympathy with the rioters from the local magistrates who tried them
Who started the 10 Hour Movement?
Richard Oastler and George Bull
Give 7 reasons why the 10 Hour Movement was successful?
. Religious conviction of the organisers
. Single issue politics
. Peaceful petitioning rather than violence
. Long working day e.g. up to 16 hours but often 10-12 hours
. Some mill owners saw the benefits of having a healthy workforce
. Whig MP John Hobhouse had tried to bring in a law in 1825 to limit a working day for children
. Oastler wrote a letter to the Leeds Mercury in 1830
Name the 2 Tories who took up the cause of the 10 Hour Movement?
Michael Sadler MP and Lord Ashley Peer
When did the Pentrich Rising take place?
1817
How did unemployed spinners and weavers in Manchester react to their poor situation in 1817?
Blanketeers arranged a march to London to take a petition to the Prince Regent.
How did the government respond to the wave of early 19th Century protest?
transportation, spies, extreme punishment, hanging
What were the 6 parts of the Six Acts?
speedy trials, increased penalties for seditious libel, stamp duty imposed on all magazines, public meetings limited, training of people to use firearms prohibited, magistrates given increased power to search properties
Why was the Suspension of Habeas Corpus an extreme move for the government?
Suspension of Habeas Corpus permits arrest without trial and imprisonment without charge
When was the Suspension of Habeas Corpus?
1817
What was the penalty for stealing a rabbit in the Game Laws of 1815?
Death/execution
How did the Napoleonic Wars contribute to the problems that working class people faced?
400,000 soldiers were demobbed and arrived back looking for work
What happened at the meeting at St Peter’s Fields in Manchester in 1819?
Sabre charge by yeomanry into the crowd killing 11 and injuring 400
What was the name of the radical speaker who spoke to the crowds at the event at St Peter’s Fields in Manchester in 1819?
Henry Hunt
What nickname was given to the Manchester event in 1819?
‘Peterloo’ Massacre
How did the government react to the Manchester event in 1819?
The government reacted harshly and brought in the Six Acts
When did the 10 Hour Movement eventually have success?
1847
When was the French Revolution?
1789
What did the French Revolution mark?
A period of radical political and societal change
What caused the French Revolution?
. Ideas of enlightenment
. High price of bread and food shortages
. Low wages
. Middle class not represented
. High tax
Reign of terror
Anyone who objected to revolution would be executed
What to the French Revolution put an end to?
The monarchy
What were the Napoleonic wars?
Series of the major conflicts with the French Empire vs Europe
What ended the Napoleonic wars?
Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo by Prussia + Britain
When were the Gordon Riots?
June 1780
What were the Gordon Riots?
Several days of rioting in London motivated by anti-Catholic sentiment
Why did the Gordon Riots begin?
Protest against Papist Act of 1778 which was intended to reduce official discrimination against British Catholics
What stopped the Gordon riots?
Government sent in army resulting in 300-700 death
What did the Gordon Riots do to Britain’s reputation
Destroyed it and constitutional monarch was seen as unstable
What is a Luddite?
A person opposed to new technology or ways of working
Who were the Luddite’s?
Secret oath based organisation of English textile workers