Rise And Fall Of Chartism Flashcards
(28 cards)
Who wrote the People’s Charter, and when was it wrote?
Thomas Atwood, 1836
What were the 6 demands of the People’s Charter?
Equal representation, payment for all MPs, secret voting ballot, annual parliamentary elections, votes for all men 21+, no property qualifications for MPs
What was founded in 1836, identified as the earliest group for Chartism?
London Working Men’s Association, wanted more working class influence
What was the reason for the creation of Chartism/ the writing of the People’s Charter?
Lack of representation for working class in the 1832 Reform Acr
What further acts in 1833 and 1834 further upset working class and failed to help them?
1833 Factory Act and 1834 Poor Law Act
Who made up a majority of Chartism membership, and why?
Craftsmen/skilled workers, as they felt they’d been undermined in the 1832 reform act?
Why did people argue economic climate determined Chartists membership?
Hunger politics, during a recession Chartists members peaked
What were the 2 different types of Chartism?
Moral force vs physical force chartism
Who were 2 main leaders of moral Chartism?
Thomas Attwood and William Lovett
What were moral chartists ideology?
Peaceful petitions would be better to achieve demands as they’d gain respect from the government
What year was the 1st Chartists petition, and how many voted did it gain?
1839, gained 1,280,958 votes
What year was the 2nd Chartist petition, and how many votes did it achieve?
1842, gained 3,000,000 votes
What year was the 3rd chartist petition, and how many votes did it achieve?
1848, gained 5,000,000 votes
What was the controversy regarding the 3rd Chartist Petition?
Many of the 5,000,000 votes were fake, only around 2,000,000 were real
Who was a major leader in ‘physical force’ Chartism?
Feargus O’Connor
What were physical Chartist’s ideology?
Riots/violence would be better to achieve demands as would scare the government
When did physical Chartism experience growth in support?
After the failure of the 1839 Chartists petition
What famous Chartist uprising occurred in 1839?
Newport rising, caused 20 deaths
What were the consequences of the Newport Rising?
Between 1839-1842, over 500 Chartists leaders were imprisoned
What was the Kennington Common Rally?
A Chartists demonstration at Kennington Common followed by the presentation of the Third Reform Bill
What was the government reaction to the Kennington Common Rally?
150,000 special Constables appointed, also 8,000 soldiers deployed to stop violence
Which major Act caused a decline in support for Chartism because it was deemed more realistic?
The Ten Hour Act, which benefited the working class, seemed more achievable so gained more support- was passed in 1848
Why did Feargus O’Connor decrease support for Chartism?
His creation of the Land Plan (1846), which redistributed rural land to poorer families, attracted support of 70,000+
Why did Chartism essentially die out after 1848?
Great economic improvement, reduced support for Chartism
