'the passing of the poor law in 1834 was the main reasonn why chartism attracted mass support in the years from 1837-1841' HFDYA Flashcards
line of argument - ‘poor law is why Chartism attracted mass support’
there are lots underlying reasons why chartists gained mass support but the passing of the poor law in 1834 was the main trigger for people to join the movement
‘poor law is why Chartism attracted mass support ‘
significance of poor law - political
The Poor Law Amendment Act was regarded as a deliberate and selfish attack on the vulnerable motivated by a desire to appeal to the interests of newly enfranchised voters and those who had long held political control.
i.e. blame and punish the poor for their poverty, scare them into never seeking help, force them to accept the lowest wages, and deter them from complaining, with a reduction in taxation and opportunity to be elected to a Board of Guardians.
this law Provoked huge anger – protests and campaigns, leaders emerged, and newspapers (the Northern Star) – connected to the franchise – this was the result of 1832.
‘poor law is why Chartism attracted mass support’
other factors - political
Counter argument – the PLAA was a crucial factor but not the main reason; there were other political reasons for the growth of Chartism.
First, and foremost, 1832 – did not extend the franchise sufficiently and did not lead to the greater representation of ordinary voters that many had hoped for.
Also the Municipal Corporations Act – further evidence that those with the vote would secure policies in their interests / the vote increased power and raised status.
The biggest factor was 1832 GRA, and the political that followed demonstrated clearly that enfranchisement and better representation were the key to improved lives for ordinary people.
‘poor law is why Chartism attracted mass support’
economic - poor law + weaknesses of that argument
There is a strong argument that Chartism was far more driven by economic factors than political ones (in periods of trade depression support for chartists was much higher) and within this the Poor Law Amendment can be seen as a significant factor.
The volatile economic conditions of the 1830s and early 1840s, coming relatively soon after similar spells in the previous decades heightened concern and it was fear of the economic consequences of the Poor Law, above all else, that drove people to support Chartism.
NB partly fear of the potential to have to go to a workhouse, losing freedom, separating families, harsh regimes (punishment and hard work) BUT also the impact on economic conditions outside the workhouse- power to employers, lower wages, starvation with no help.
There are two key weaknesses to this argument. Firstly, in reality the full horrors of the Poor Law Amendment Act weren’t realised – in times of economic distress relief continued to be distributed ‘outdoors’ (i.e. not in the workhouse) in industrial areas, so it seems unlikely that Chartism can be explained mainly by the Poor Law.
Furthermore, whilst it may be valid to view Chartism as a ‘knife and fork’ issues due to correlations between its support and the economic cycle, there are clearly factors in this that are bigger than the Poor Law i.e. trade depressions, harvests and the upheaval of industrialisation, all of which were greater causes of economic distress.
