Extending the franchise (Chartists)

Question 1

Who could vote in the early 19th century?

Answer 1

• people who owned land and titles

Question 2

What were rotten boroughs

Answer 2

• Areas that sent 2 MPs to parliament even though nobody lived there

Question 3

Why no secret ballot was a problem

Answer 3

• People had to say in public who they voted for
• led to people being easily bribed and could be sacked for voting for the ‘wrong’ candidate

Question 4

What happened at the Peterloo massacre

Answer 4

• 60,000 Protesters gathered in St Peter’s fields Manchester, to listen to speeches
• Local magistrate panicked and called local military in
• This resulted in 15 killed and 600 wounded, including women and children

Question 5

Effects of Peterloo massacre

Answer 5

• Six acts
  -meant that any meeting of more than 50 people for radical reform was treason

Question 6

What happened in 1830?

Answer 6

• Whig party, led by Earl Grey took power over Torys
• King William IV became king
  -was more open to reform and improving society

Question 7

What were the main points of Great reform act 1832

Answer 7

• people who earn £150 a year can vote
• London and other large towns given more MPs
• 56 small locations (rotten boroughs) lose right to elect MPs

Question 8

Effects of great reform act

Answer 8

• Didn’t change things for working class people in short term
• shows that change IS possible- middle class now part of electorate

Question 9

What was the reformed Poor law 1834

Answer 9

• People who needed Poor law assistance would be sent to workhouse
  -this was a lot of people, as Industrial Revolution meant machines could do peoples jobs, and children could even work them

Question 10

What happened in 1836

Answer 10

• William Lovett started the Chartist movement, which was joined by Thomas Attwood and the Birmingham political union

Question 11

Main demands of people’s charter

Answer 11

• Votes for all men
• Equal-sized constituencies
• Secret ballots
• Wages for MPs
• Yearly elections
• No property qualifications for votes

Question 12

Who was Feargus O’Connor

Answer 12

• The leader of the movement after the 1842 petition was rejected

Question 13

What did O’Connor do in 1842?

Answer 13

• Called for General strike of all workers
• Called for a British republic

Question 14

Name of Newspaper Chartists used to promote movement

Answer 14

• Northern star

Question 15

Government responses to chartism

Answer 15

• Put up posters telling people to not attend chartist meetings, as they would be freely arrested
• Sent people to Australia (extreme, more of a threat)

Question 16

What happened on 10th April 1848

Answer 16

• O’Connor and around 50,000 supporters met on Kennington Common, where they met 85,000 police constables
• O’Connor had to bring the petition to London himself, however many of the signatures were forged, therefore it was dismissed by the Government

Question 17

Reasons for Chartists short term failure

Answer 17

• Strong parliamentary opposition
• alternate movements such as trade unionism
• Divided leadership of O’Connor and Lovett- no clear message