power and the people - chapter 8 Flashcards
(79 cards)
1
Q
when had britain been at war with france and what did they do during the war
A
1803-1815
they stopped trading with the french
2
Q
during the war what did british farmers have the monopoly on and what did this lead to
A
had the monopoly on wheat
this meant prices soared
3
Q
what happened when the war with france ended and why did the british politicians not agree
A
- when the war ended there were calls to start trading with france, which had cheaper wheat
- however, the politicians in government were wealthy landowners
-> they had made money from the high wheat prices and didn’t want to see their profits fall
4
Q
what law did the gov pass to keep wheat prices high
A
the Corn Laws
5
Q
when were the Corn Laws passed
A
1815
6
Q
what did the corn laws mean
A
if the price fell to low, imports of wheat would be stopped
7
Q
why were many people unhappy with the corn laws
A
they increased the price of bread
8
Q
what happened as a result of the corn laws
A
there were riots up and down the country, from Westminster to Dundee
9
Q
what was the Anti-Corn Law league mostly made of
A
middle class men who felt the restrictions were unfair to the poor and the manufacturing middle class
10
Q
who were the prominent ‘leaguers’ of the anti-corn law league
A
Richard Cobden
John Bright
11
Q
what did Richard Cobden and John Bright do for the anti-corn law league and how did the anti-corn law league spread their ideas
A
- both men were excelled orators and toured the country, giving speeches and spreading support for the league
- they created pamphlets and published articles in sympathetic newspapers
- they were quick to take advantage of new technology by using the railway to travel faster
- they spread their pamphlets through the penny post: this was a cheap post that most people could afford
12
Q
what was the penny post
A
a cheap post that most people could afford
13
Q
how did the anti-corn law league use the penny post
A
they used to to send a pamphlet to every eligible votes in the country, and easily obtained nationwide support
14
Q
what were the main arguments of the anti-corn law league
A
- the laws were unfair to the poor because they increased the price of basic food - bread
- cheap wheat could help to lower living costs
- people could spend more money on other foods, such as meat, which would help farmers
- people could also spend more money on industrial goods, thus benefiting the manufacturers
- countries that could export their wheat to britain would have the money to invest in the industry
- the relationship built through trade with these countries could ensure peace in europe in the coming years
15
Q
when did the support for the anti-corn law league increase
A
when both Cobden and Bright were elected as MPs, in 1841 and 1843
16
Q
in parliament, who did cobden and bright find the support of
A
the new Prime Minister, Robert Peel
17
Q
what was Peel a supporter of
A
free trade and he saw the benefits of repealing the corn laws
18
Q
what party was Peel part of and why would this mean he couldn’t find support for the repeal of the corn laws
A
the leader of the Conservative party
-> the members were mostly wealthy landowners; they would not support changes to a law which protected their wealth
19
Q
when had there been a previous attempt at reforming the poor law
A
in the 1820s
but none had done enough for the poor and starving of britain
20
Q
in the 1840s what happened, and why did it look like england might have a crisis
A
- in the early 1840s, there was a potato crop failure in ireland
- this was caused by the crop disease blight, which had spread across europe
- this was a problem for the poor in ireland as they relied heavily on potatoes and bread for their diet
- by 1846, ireland was experiencing a terrible famine and millions of people were starving
- the Corn Laws meant that there was no spare wheat to send to ireland
- simultaneously, there were crop failures in england and scotland and reports of suffering started to reach london
- the bad harvest, the lack of work for tenant farmers, and the high price of bread was about to cause a similar crisis to the one in ireland
21
Q
when did robert peel repeal the corn laws
A
1846
22
Q
what happened to Peel after he repealed the corn laws
A
he faced much backlash from his own political party
he resigned and would never hold office again
23
Q
what was the impact of the repeal of the corn laws
A
- did not have the devastating effect on wheat prices as anticipated
- what british farmers hadn’t realised was that the low price of wheat after the end of the war with france wasn’t because of foreign imports, but becuase of over-production in britain during the war years
- the increase in population and the return to normal prices meant that farmers and landowners did not suffer
- the poor were finally able to afford wheat and the price of barley, oats and meat actually increased, which helped those farmers who had been affected
24
Q
when had britain been involved in slavery
A
since the 15th century
25
what was the slave trade
- for hundreds of years, british traders had made money by selling people to work in the carribean and then america
- some enslaved people were brought to britain to work too
- the british, along with other european nations, had set up plantations growing mainly cotton and sugar; they needed people to pick the crops
- they got their enslaved people from the west coast of africa
-> there, many tribal leaders were happy to sell people to the slave traders and investors return they were given goods such as cloth, guns, glass and iron
26
what is the evidence of britain making lots of money from slavery
evidence can be seen in cities such as Bristol, Liverpool and Glasgow, where houses and buildings were built using money made through the slave trade
27
what were conditions like on the ships that took enslaved africans across the atlantic
- conditions were dreadful
- men, women, children were crammed on top of each other
28
on average, how many passengers on the ships that took enslaved africans across the atlantic died on crossing
1/3
29
what was life as an enslaved person like
- when the ships arrived at their destinations, the enslaved people were treated like animals during the auctions, where people bid for them
- life on the plantations was extremely difficult
- enslaved people were expected to work all their lives; if they didn’t work hard enough they would be severely punished
- they had no legal rights
- average life expectancy was 27
30
what was the average life expectancy of an enslaved person
27
31
what were the main motivations for the view that slavery was wrong
- one of the main motivations was the comparison to the working conditions in the factories
-> the workers had been referred to as ‘white slaves’
-> it became clear that if they opposed the horrible conditions of the british factories, they should also oppose slavery
- others were led by their religious convictions that slavery was not Christian
-> one group that believed this was led by William Wilberforce
-> he, and likeminded others, created the Anti-Slavery Society
32
who created the anti-slavery society
William Wilberforce
33
what did the anti-slavery society do
- held public meetings to educate people
- produced pamphlets and posters
- society members wore a badge to display their membership
- these actions were designed to raise awareness and show support for the abolition of the slave trade
34
what class of people supported the anti-slavery movement
the working class
35
what did the working class people do to show their support for the anti-slavery movement
workers in Manchester signed a petition to parliament
by 1792, 1/4 of the population of manchester had signed it
36
William Wilberforce:
- MP for Hull
- motivated by his christian faith
- spoke in parliament and pushed several bills through to abolish slavery
- held meetings to convince other prominent members of the society to end slavery, and in 1797, presented a petition to parliament - it had more signatures than the chartists petition
- secured the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act in 1807, which made it illegal to buy and sell enslaved people in the British Empire (but people were allowed to keep the enslaved people they already owned)
37
Olaudah Equiano:
- had been enslaved to a ship master and had travelled the world, during which time he was educated and converted to Christianity
- bought his freedom and travelled more before settling in england
- was a prominent abolitionist; wrote a book, ‘The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustav Vassa, the African’ (1789)
- his autobiography was used by the abolition movement to win people’s support: it made people aware of the horrors of slavery
38
Thomas Clarkson:
- collected information about slavery and the conditions on board slave ships
- considered slavery evil and saw it as his job to do something about it
- produced drawings of the conditions on slave ships and pamphlets to show how horrible the conditions were for enslaved people
39
Granville Sharp:
- in the late 1700s, supported cases of black enslaved people in Britain who wanted to be free
- motivated by his studies and his interest in politics and law
- the the famous case of Jonathan Strong, who was recaptured by his former slave master and sent back to the Caribbean, Sharp won his case for freedom
- his work showed how unclear the law was in britain about owning enslaved people
- brought to public attention the case of the slave ship Zong, where 133 enslaved people had been reportedly thrown overboard
40
when was slavery abolished
1807
41
what was the problem with the 1807 slavery abolishment law
it made it illegal to buy and sell enslaved people - those who were already owned did not have to ben freed
42
when did parliament ban slave ownership through the empire
and what did the gov do to former slave owners
1833
the gov agreed to pay former slave owners £20 million for their ‘loss of property’
-> for example, the Bishop of Exeter received over £12,000 for the loss of 665 enslaved people
43
why was the abolition movement not fully supported within the government
- many of the MPs and lords had made their money form slavery, or a link to it
- if slavery ended, plantation owners would have to pay their workers and this would mean they could lose money
44
what propaganda did slave trade supporters make
created propaganda supporting the view that black people were inferior, and that britain had a responsibility to keep enslaved black people locked up - this was called the ‘white mans burden’
45
example of a woman who got involved in the abolition movement
Hannah More, who wrote poems for the movement
she met Wilberforce in 1787 and they formed a firm friendship, based around their faith and commitment to social reform
46
did women get involved in the abolition movement
yes, despite not having the vote, many women got involved
47
by the time slavery got abolished, how many anti-slavery societies were run my women and where were they located
73
they were located across the whole of britain, demonstrating that women nationwide were concerned about the issue do slavery and we’re willing to take action
48
who else (other than middle-class white people in britain) helped achieve the abolishment of slavery
enslaved people
they had been resisting slavery for many years and these rebellions changed the way people thought about the slave trade
49
what happened when the british took control of jamaica in 1655
- the Maroons escaped from the plantations where they were forced to work and went to live in the mountains
- the british knew that if word spread of this group, they woudl face slave rebellions everywhere
- thus, they negotiated with the maroons, and managed to control the rebellions for a long time
50
why was it harder to suppress anti-slavery rebellions after the french revolution
the revolution spread new ideas of freedom and equality
51
what rebellion happened 2 years after the french revolution
- the enslaved people of St Dominique, a french-controlled island, rebelled
- they killed the white plantations owners and burnt the sugar crops
- the french and british tried to stop this rebellion, but failed
- this was partly because of the brilliant leadership of Toussaint L’Ouverture
- he led fellow enslaved people to victory and slavery was abolished on the island in 1804
- the islands was declared independent and was given the new name Haiti
52
what was another factor (other than a surge of social consciousness) that led to the abolition of slavery
decline in economic benefits of slavery
- slavery was making less money than it used to
- sugar could be imported more cheaply from Brazil and Cuba; there was no need for the british to grow it themselves
53
was the abolition movements a complete success
- the Abolition of Slavery Act 1833 only instantly freed enslaved people under the age of 6
- the rest were put into age categories and were promised freedom after 4 years
- William Wilberforce has been widely criticised for supporting this staged abolition
- he argued that enslaved people had not been educated and needed to be trained to live outside the shackles of slavery
- many others disagreed with this strategy and campaigned for the immediate release of all enslaved people
- many enslaved people were sacked if they refused to live in their old quarters
- smuggling of enslaved people became a problem: as it was done in secret, it made conditions even worse as there was no one to regulate it
- the smuggling was carried out by former slave traders who did not want to give up the money they could make from slavery
- for many enslaved people, freedom led to a decline in living standards as they tried to compete for work and wages
- in the long term the success of the abolition movement was undoubtedly a positive change for black people glabally, as britain increased the pressure on other nations to abolish slavery
54
factories during and after the industrial revolution
- textiles such as woollen and cotton cloth were the main products beings made in factories in britain during the industrial revolution
- the factories were built because the new machines that made production more efficient, cheaper, and quicker were too big for peoples homes
- with the new factories came new, longer working hours and new dangers
- children as young as 6 worked in some factories
- accidents were common, in which young people might lose limbs and, in extreme cases, their lives
55
mines during and after the industrial revolution:
- coal mines provided jobs for the whole family
- men manually cut the coal away from the coal seam, and women worked as bearers carrying the coal to the surface
- children had jobs that matched their age
-> older boys would push the coal in carts from the coal seam to the bearers
-> children as young as 4 would work as trappers; they would have to sit in the dark for up to 12 hours a day, opening the door for the carts and to provide ventilation -> many lost their legs when the carts ran over them
56
how did people react when the heard about the workers in the factories and mines
- they were horrified
- men’s work was hard but people were shocked when they heard about women and children
57
who was a supporter of reform
an MP called Michael Sadler
58
what did Sadler’s report show
that factory children were being caught under machines and injured, and were being mistreated by factory owners
59
what did Sadler suggest because of what his report showed
suggested that those under 18 should not be allowed to work more than 10 hours a day; this became known as the 10 hour movement
60
why did other reports show about workers in factories and mines
showed that girls were carrying baskets of coal weighing up to 150 kg, and that women were dragging carts of coal of their hands and knees
-> most people were appalled
61
what did Lord Shaftesbury want
he wanted to improve the lives of children both at work and socially
he wanted reforms to apply to all factories, not just textile factories
62
what was Shaftesbury led by
his christian beliefs and what he felt was the most humane way to treat people, regardless of their social status
63
what did Shaftesbury support
he gave support to the 10-hour movement
he was also an important supporter of the Mines Act of 1842 and a campaigner for more education for children who worked in factories
64
why were people against reform
- because of an laissez-faire politics
-> this was the belied that politics should not be involved in peoples personal lives
- in terms of factory reform, or was believed that working conditions were a private arrangement between a person and his or her employer
- in terms of social reforms - making peoples lives better outside the workplace - there was a belief that people were poor because of their own bad choices
65
what were the problems with the reform acts
- many workers did not supports the factor reform acts as they limited the amount of money coming into a household
- the acts did not cater for all workers and all factories
- the reforms put poor people at a disadvantage and the existing poor relief did not support everyone
- this led to the Pool Law Amendment Act of 1834
- however, this law increased the pressure on workers: if they could not make enough money they were put into the dreaded workhouses
- families would be separated and lives ruined
66
who was Robert Owen
- had run a successful mill in Manchester where he had treated his workers well
- in 1800, he became manager and part-owner of his father-in-law’s mill in scotland
0 this was south of glasgow and was called New Lanark
67
robert owen politics:
- he was a socialist
-> this meant he was not led so much by profits, but more about the wellbeing of his workers
- he believed in a more equal society
- owen was also aware that happy workers would work better, and he would have a better business
68
robert owen religion:
- he was not driven by religious motivations but did receive funding from a Quaker
-> Quakers were renowned for their desire to help the most vulnerable people in society
69
what did robert owen change
- by 1810, he had introduced an 8 hour day (this was decades before the success of the 10-hour day campaign, which he was part of)
- he also opened a school in 1816 and all children had to receive a certain number of hours of education, depending on their age
- New Lanark had a social club and meeting areas for worker to visit in their time off
- drinking alcohol and swearing was banned in these places
- New Lanark was visited by members of the royal family and MPs, and everyone agreed it was a successful town
70
who was Edwin Chadwick
- he was from a progressive family and studied law at uni
- his father was a newspaper editor and was involved in progressive politics
71
edwin chadwick politics:
he made friends with people who were political philosophers; they were interested in social reform
72
what did edwin chadwick change
- he was responsible for the reform of the Poor Law that resulted in record numbers of people entering the workhouse in the 1830s; this made him very unpopular
- however, he did write a report called ‘The Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Population’
-> this showed that there was a link between the poor housing and sanitation of the factory workers and the outbreaks of killer diseases, such as cholera - most middle nad upper class people had blamed the workers themselves
73
Elizabeth Fry politics
she was a social reformer who believed in the poor being helped; she also believed in prison reform
74
elizabeth fry religion
she was a strict Quaker
75
what did elizabeth fry change
- she was shocked by the conditions she had heard about in Newgate Prison
- in the prison she saw hundreds of women and children huddled on the floor in two cells
- they had to sleep, cook and clean themselves in the cell
- children, there with their arrested mothers, sometimes had to share cells with murderers
- fry visited the prison regularly and soon established a school and chapel
- her brother-in-law was an MP; he raised the issue of prison reform in parliament
- as a result, prisons were reformed, as were the conditions for women on transportation ships
76
who was Josephine Butler
- she was from a family of social reformers
- he father was involved in the abolition of slavery
77
josephine butler politics
- she was a social reformer
- her second cousin was earl grey
78
josephine butler religion
she was an evangelical Christian
79
what did josephine butler change
- she was concerned with the issue of child prostitution, and campaigned for the age of consent to rise from 13 to 16
- she was appalled by the way women were treated when they were arrested for being prostitutes
- society regarded these women as ungodly and unworthy of help
- butler saw their problems as poor wages and men
- in 1869, the Contagious Disease Act was introduced as a way of keeping sexually transmitted infections away from the armed forces
- any woman could be examined by a police officer if she was thought to be a prostitute
- butlers campaigning saw the repeal of the act in 1833
