The roles of individuals within the Chartist movement Flashcards
Did William Lovett take a violent stance?
No! - this contributed to the confused split after the failure of the First Petition in 1839
What did Lovett attempt to focus on?
. Uniting the working-class movement with middle-class support
How was Lovett hindered?
Through the division of leadership within the chartist movement - O’Connor who attacked him repeatedly in the Northern Star
Why else was Lovett’s leadership not effective in leading a successful movement?
Inconsistent campaigning - side tracked into campaigning to improve education
Who did Lovett want to include in suffrage?
Women - overruled by his peers
How was O’Connor’s leadership useful?
. Offered charismatic leadership - attracted working-class
support
. Shown in his speeches which drew huge crowds
. Worked as an editor for the Northern Star - selling 36,000 copies weekly - created awareness and thus, gained supporters
What did O’Connor’s creation of the Charter Association do for the movement?
Revived it after the failure of the Frist Petition - 1942 (50,000) members
How was O’Connor’s leadership a hinderance to the movement?
. Deeply indecisive - political ideas were unfocused and varied
. Argued with other Chartist leaders
. Wrote articles which criticised them and damaged their reputation
Where was the main area of dispute amongst Chartist leaders?
Over violence - O’Connor favoured violence whilst Lovett took a more peaceful approach - created division
Why was the importance of individuals so crucial in the prosperity of the Chartist movement?
. It needed leadership - divisions that weakened the movement
. Government tactic of locking up leaders as often as possible was so effective - added to the headless movement
