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Flashcards in Chartists Deck (38)
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1
Q

In what Year was the people’s charter written

A

1837

2
Q

Name the four key (out of 6) members of the London working men’s association where the writers of the people’s charter ?

A

William Lovett
Francis Place
George Julian Harney
Henry Hetherington

3
Q

What were the 6 points of the charter ?

A
  1. vote for every man over 21 who wasn’t criminal or insane
  2. Secret ballot
  3. No property qualification for the MPs
  4. MPs get wages
  5. Equal constituencies
  6. Annual parliamentary elections
4
Q

Why would the people’s charter appealed to those with economic grievances?

A

Because it evened out the playing field and mad opportunity available to all. They would be able to have this say in economical issues

5
Q

Causes of chartism ?

A
  • ten hours movement which raised expectations of the textile workers
  • the extension of the new poor law
  • the Irish coercion act 1833
  • municipal corporations act 1835 extended middle class control
  • economic boom of 30-36 broke which caused a resection and depression and bad harvest
  • attacks on trade unions 1834 37
6
Q

Describe the events leading up to and including the first petition ?

A

In 1837 Thomas Atwood revived the bpu despite being an mp. The bpu decided to campaign for universal suffrage and in august 1838 they endorsed the charter. Activists everywhere also began campaigning for them e.g. fergus o Connor. Over 200,000 people attended each meetings help in Birmingham Leeds and Manchester. Northern star was selling 50,000 copies. In July 1839, parliament rejected the petition 235 votes to 46.

7
Q

Explain the significance of the northern star newspaper

A

O’Connor used profits from the northern star to finance the Chartists a great deal. It helped the chartist emerge as a steady sustained national movement. It also helped gain support for the Chartists.

8
Q

Explain and asses : The National Convention and the Sacred Month

A

EXPLAIN: the purpose was never clear but it was mainly supposed to debate what the Chartists would do if their petition was denied. Some of the arguments persuaded the middle class members to leave because they were scared. Some suggestions : provoke mass arrests, arm themselves.

ASSESS: when they were actually rejected it was made clear they had no proper or solid plan and everyone discovered
That no plans to strike or protest had been put in place. Also there was insufficient support

9
Q

Explain and assess the Newport rising

A

EXPLAIN: in Nov 1839 10,000 marched from towns and villages in South Wales to Newport. Most were miners and iron workers.

ASSESS: it gave the authorities the excuse it needed to sentence people and put more legislation in place. It taught the Chartists the dangers of insurrection.

10
Q

Who was Fergus O’Connor and what did he do ?

A

He was a very key leader of the chartist movement. He was often considered the physical force of the movement.

He established the northern star in 1837
He helped transform Chartism into a national movement.
Was found guilty for seditious libel and was in prison for 18 months.

He was a very powerful speaker and was one of the main inspirations for the whole movement.

11
Q

Who was William Lovett and what did he do?

A

He was also a very prominent leader of the chartism movement. He founded the Lwma.

He was a leading member of the national convention and was arrested in 1839 after Birmingham riots.
Once he was released from prison he focused more on educational reform and self help.
In prison he proposed a penny tax

He was a very clear moral force of the movement.

12
Q

Explain and assess the National Charter Association

A

EXPLAIN: despite many leaders being imprisoned. O’Connor gave his approval Of forming the nca which aimed to provide centralised organisation to the Chartists.

ASSESS: created a sense of unity that kept chartism alive. Over 400 branches and 50,000 members.

13
Q

What emerged in Nottingham on Nov 1839.

A

A particularly strong new chartist culture emerged that consisted of religious services and meetings. Being a chartist has a new meaning that involved more than before.

14
Q

Describe the attempt to unite the suffrage movement

A

It was an attempt to unite middle class reformers with the Chartists. The first conference went well however O’Connor was opposed to this and the second conference broke up over his insistence.

15
Q

Explain and asses the events leading up to and including the second petition of the Chartists.

A

EXPLAIN: the nca had made many improvements that would help chartism achieve its aims and they organised a second petition

ASSESS: it was more organised than the first petition and this got them 3.3 million signatures but once again it was overwhelmingly rejected my the House of Commons 287 to 49 and the national convention again had to back up plan.

16
Q

EXPLAIN and assess the plug riots

A

EXPLAIN: by July 1842 the economic depression was at its worst. There was also a sense of political bitterness. The following months the chartist leaders saw a lot of their followers drifted out of their control. Strikes rose all across the country.

ASSESS: the nca found its self with a stroke it had not organised or planned. Some leaders believed now was the time to force the authority’s to give in or face a fight

17
Q

Describe the economic recovery in the final phase of chartism

A

The economic recovery helped to contribute to a mass decline in Support for the Chartists. Furthermore the arrest of many chartist leaders and divisions over strategies didn’t help. Finally the attractiveness of joining unions to the working class crippled chartism.

18
Q

Describe the land plan

A

During the final phase of chartism hopes were kept alive my the chartist land company which was a scheme by O’Connor to set up rural chartism communities. Chartists bought shares in the company. And if their names were drawn out of the hat they would receive a plot of land to cultivate. It was extremely popular until the authorities found a technicality that allowed them to shut it down.

19
Q

Describe the event of the Chartists third petition.

A

In 1847 O’Connor was elected to parliament. Inspired by this and news of another revolution in France a plan for another petition was made for april 1848. Chartism support again rose. Partly due to bad economics again. The government deployed 7000 troops and 4000 police men to the meeting at Kensington common. The parliamentary committee examined the petition. They declared that half the signatures were fake and declined it. There was an upsurge of chartist violence in York Lancashire and loads of arrests were made.

20
Q

What happened to chartist support after the third petition in 1848 ?

A

It declined rapidly and by 1852 O’Connor had been placed in an insane asylum.

21
Q

Describe chartism in Liverpool

A

Dominated by skilled workers
Relatively lower than other cities
This was partly due to the less harsh enforcement of the new poor law

22
Q

Describe chartism in Scotland

A

Leaders here were more moderate than physics and it was mainly all focused in Glasgow.

23
Q

Describe chartist support in London 1830’s & 1840’s

A

1830’s

Not a major centre of support
Was lacking in the industrial towns
15,000 attended the first meeting compared to 300,000 in Manchester

1840’s

Really took root in the 40’s due to the crisis but support in London declined. It was still an important city for them as it was the h.q. of the northern star and of course was where parliament resided

24
Q

Describe chartism in the north and specifically the north east

A

NORTH

This had the most militant support
It was expanding in towns like Lancashire and Yorkshire
Stronger here than in more industrial centres like Leeds

NORTH EAST
Lowering support as after 1839 more and more miners turned to trade unions as an alternative

25
Q

Describe chartism in wales and the midlands

A

WALES
Miners in South Wales turned away from chartism after the Newport uprising in 1939

MIDLANDS
Here the movement was at its most militant in the single industry towns and villages

26
Q

Describe chartism in the south west.

A

SOUTH WEST

The Wesleyan church turned all chartist missionaries away

27
Q

Who were less likely to be Chartists ?

A

Unskilled workers in towns and cities, and rural labourers

28
Q

Who was more likely to be a chartist ?

A

Skilled workers and occasionally a few members of the lower middle class in the midlands or north of England

29
Q

Name some geographical strengths of the movement

A
  • widespread support
  • majority of the country contained some Chartists
  • they had unity in their ideas e.g. The people’s charter
  • pockets of supporters
30
Q

Name some geographical weaknesses of the movement

A
  • support was too spread out to be cooperative and organised
  • not unified organisationally
  • types of people didn’t vary and that was necessary to gain support from influential people
  • not based in London the most influential city
31
Q

How were women involved in chartism?

A

Heavily involved
Although they weren’t leaders and were rarely arrested so their role was often over looked in early accounts.
They raised money, organised activities.

32
Q

How was women’s support of chartism significant ?

A

Greater involvement was during regular popular periods for chartism

Support = strength !

Women supporting anything could be used undermine it.

They were responsible for the new directions of chartism

33
Q

How did women’s involvement in chartism fall ?

A

Their role declined because their involvement was used to portray Chartists and not serious

34
Q

How were the aims of the trade societies different from those of chartism ?

A

They aimed at economic improvement, with workers arguably more concerned with lack of work, low pay and food prices as opposed to securing the charter.

35
Q

Why did many trade societies support chartism?

A

It appeared a sensible strategy during times of economic distress or attacked by employers, e.g. Cotton spinners on Glasgow. The links intended to be mutually supporting, at least until the collapse of strikes in late summer 1842

36
Q

Why did the support slow?

A

In better economic times, it proved difficult to enforce the message that the only way to ensure workers rights was through the charter. Skilled workers increasingly thought that getting higher wages from an employer desperate to increase productivity during a trade boom was easier than pressing on them what many considered a revolutionary programme of democratic reform

37
Q

Evidence that chartism was a unified national movement and evidence it wasn’t.

A
  • both men and women supported
  • large numbers of people supported
  • support from different parts of the country
  • close links between trade unions and chartism
  • all the same socio economic groups
  • no support in the influential south east
  • ## trade unions were much more attractive
38
Q

Factors that caused chartism to fail

A

Weakness of movement

  • leadership
  • supporters
  • aims and tactics
  • dependence on economic conditions

Power of the state

  • parliament
  • experience along an tactics
  • resources and structure
  • successful reforms