Topic 7: The extension of the franchise Flashcards
What was Britain’s electoral system?
In the 19th century, the working class grew in size due to the Industrial Revolution. They demanded representation. This challenge to the authority of those with influence and the demand for democracy would change Britain forever.
Electoral system in early 19th century:
- The king and the major landowners controlled the country.
- The workers in the new towns and cities had no political representation.
- Rotten boroughs had no one living there but still sent 2 MPs to parliament.
- Pocket boroughs were controlled by rich individuals.
- Women did not have the vote.
- No secret ballot meant voters could be bribed or intimidated as everyone knew who they were voting for.
- There was no standard property qualification that gave someone the right to vote; this meant that in some places people could vote if they had a fireplace and a door with a lock (potwalloper boroughs) but in others people had to own a house.
What was the Peterloo Massacre?
- In 1819 60,000 workers in Manchester went to St Peter’s Field to hear Henry Hunt speak. Hunt was calling for a reform to parliament.
- The local magistrate panicked when he saw the crowd - the government were worried about large crowds after the French Revolution - and called the local troops.
- Within 10 minutes over 600 people had been injured and 15 killed.
- Hunt was arrested and put in prison. After Peterloo the Six Acts were introduced . They stated that any meeting of more that 50 people for radical reform was an act of treason.
What were the new ways to get reform?
The working and middle classes still needed change. They decided that instead of protesting they would try to persuade the government to change things and extend the franchise.
There were some important steps in trying to persuade the government:
- Thomas Attwood from Birmingham formed the Birmingham Political Union of the Lower and Middle Classes of People in 1829.
- Attwood, along with 8000 others, sent a petition to parliament for reform.
- They wanted: shorter parliaments (to make it harder to buy votes), the end o property qualifications, and the vote for all men who contributed taxes.
- The union was renamed the Birmingham Political Union (BPU) and vowed to cooperate with the law.
The BPU was copied across the country. When Attwood called for people not to pay their taxes, the king and government were worried.
What was the Great Reform Act, 1832?
- In the 1830 election, the Tory party was replaced by the Whig party led by Earl Grey. In the same year King George III died and was succeeded by William IV. Both the Whigs and William IV were more progressive and open to reform.
- Earl Grey tried 3 times to pass laws for a reform act but the House of Lords would not pass it. They did not want ordinary people to have more power by being represented in parliament.
- On the third attempt Early Grey requested that the king appoint more lords who were Whigs or sympathetic to reform. Scared that they would lose power and influence, the Tory lords passed the Great Reform Act.
What were the main points of the Great Reform Act?
- 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.
How ‘great’ was the Great reform Act?
Middle class:
- Merchants and the industrialist gained more representation.
- Rotten boroughs were removed and new towns and cities got an MP.
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.
What were the causes of Chartism?
Working-class men had supported the campaign for reform in 1832. However, even after the Great Reform Act they did not own property worth at least £10, so they did not get the vote. Through their anger, the Chartist movement was born.
Social:
- Most workers in the new towns and citied lived in poor conditions.
- Bad harvests in the 1830s meant many farmworkers couldn’t feed their families.
Economic:
- Skilled workers were no longer needed because of new machined in factories.
- The Poor law of 1834 sent people with financial problems to the workhouse.
Political:
- The Great Reform Act did not give the working class the vote.
- There was still no secret ballot.
In 1836, the Chartist movement was born when William Lovett, from the London Working Men’s Association, started a campaign with the support of Thomas Attwood and the PU. The Chartists wanted MPs to be paid because then the working class could become MPs and represent working people in parliament.
What was the people’s charter?
It was published in 1838 and made 6 demands:
1) A vote for all men over 21
2) A secret ballot
3) Equal electoral districts
4) No property qualifications to become an MP
5) Payment for MPs
6) Annual parliaments
Moral force and physical force
Moral force
Leader: William Lovett
Actions:
- Sent first petition to parliament in 1839, REJECTED
- Sent second petition to parliament in 1842, REJECTED
- Encouraged temperance among members to show they were disciplined and worthy pf the vote.
- Edited a newspaper, The Chartist
Physical force
Leader: Feargus O’Connor
Actions:
- Called for violence after the rejection of the 1842 petition.
- Encouraged workers to damage machinery (plug plot).
- Called for a general strike and republic.
- Sent third petition to parliament in 1848 after return of economic and agricultural depression in 1847, REJECTED
- Established the more radical newspaper, Northern Star
The government was worried about the Chartists so it:
- Rejected petitions
- Put up posters asking people not to attend Chartists meetings
- Arrested Chartists regularly
- Transported Chartists to countries like Australia.
Case Study: Newport Rising, 1839
- Unemployment was higher than the national average
-Many people were starving
- Protesters planned to release their leader form prison
- Soldiers guarding the prison opened fire and 22 men were killed
The 3rd Petition, 1848
Feargus O’Connor and fewer than 50,000 supporters met on Kennington Common in London on 10 April 1848. The authorities had 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. It was said to have 5 million signatures but it actually only had 2 million and many of the names were forged - including Queen Victoria’s name. The government saw the whole thing as a farce.
Why did the Chartists fail?
Chartism failed in the short term for many reasons:
- Strong parliamentary opposition
- Standard of living started to increase during the 1850s
- Alternative working class movements grew
- Divided leadership of Lovett and O’Connor
- Lacked one clear message
However in the long term campaigns for electoral reform were very successful achieving five of the Chartists’ six main aims by 1938.
