part three: reform and reformers- protest and change Flashcards
workers movements
what did the Luddites do?
they would deliberately break machinery in the hope that factory owners would turn away from technology
who were the Swing Rioters?
they were angered by the depression in agriculture after the Napoleonic wars and the new threshing machines that took their jobs
they set fires to farms and damaged the machines
what did the Combination Acts do?
they put restrictions on groups of workers combining to form trade unions
what did the Combination Act of 1825 do?
defined the rights of trade unions as meetings to discuss wages and conditions- anything outside of this was illegal
why was the Combination Act of 1825 put in place?
to stop the perceived threat of intimidation by groups of workers
stopped them picketing
what did Robert Owen do in 1834?
set up the Grand National Consolidated Trade Union- to bring all workers together under one umbrella organisation
how many members did the GNCTU have after a week?
half a million
what happened in 1837?
the Scottish Friendly Association of Cotton Spinners took strike action
what methods did the Scottish Friendly Association of Cotton Spinners use?
harassing people who were willing to work for less- in extreme cases, shooting them
what union was set up in 1851?
a new type of union was set up- the Amalgamated Society of Engineers ASE
what was the ASE?
a union of highly skilled men who could afford to pay weekly subscriptions- this would ensure they received sick pay and other benefits
what did the ASE spark?
sparked a wave of New Model Unions with carpenters in 1860 and then tailors in 1866
how many members did the ASE have by 1868?
33,000 members
what was the downside to the success of the NMU?
it had only benefitted the more affluent skilled workers- a group of unskilled workers were still unhappy
what did the NMU inspire?
the creation of the Labour Party
