Chartism in the 1840s

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What did the Chartists recognise after the failure of the first petition?
That strong central organisation was necessary to prevent the movement fragmenting
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What was the National Charter Association?
A national political organisation. It set up branches across Britain and members paid subscriptions to join. Seen as the first independent, working class political party, forerunner of the Labour Party
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When was the National Charter Association set up and who encouraged its establishment?
Set up in 1840 and encouraged by Feargus O'Connor
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By 1842, how many members of the National Charter Association were there?
50,000 in 400 branches
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What are some examples of William Lovett's 'new moves'?
Promotion of education for the working classes, scheme devised with schools, libraries and teacher training colleges - proved that the working classes were respectable citizens and were 'ready' for the vote
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Who attacked the 'new moves' and why?
O'Connor was critical because he saw them as distracting attention from the strategy of petitioning backed up by weight of numbers.
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When did O'Connor and his supporters organise the collection of signatures for a second petition and the meeting of another convention?
1842
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How many signatures were collected for the second petition?
3 million
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Why was 1842 probably the year of Chartism's greatest strength in terms of mass support?
Economic depression and rising unemployment helped their cause
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What was the outcome of the second petition?
Rejected by parliament by a huge majority
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When did a rash of strikes break out in the north and midlands?
August 1842
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What was the nature of these strikes and riots?
Workers were being laid off and suffering wage cuts so they decided to pull the plugs from the boilers to prevent the steam engines from working. This forced the factories to close
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How did the authorities react to the Plug Riots?
6000 troops were deployed in the North, led by General Napier
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What was General Napier's view of the Chartist movement?
He was sympathetic to the Chartists and attributed many of the disturbances to the Poor Law. He pitied the Chartists because they were no match for the physical force of the troops.
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How many Chartists had been put on trial by the end of 1842?
1500
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What explains the rise in arrests of chartists?
The new conservative government elected in 1841 ordered the arrests of 100s of chartists
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Why did chartism lose support in the mid 1840s
The arrest of many of its leaders, divisions among other leaders, economic recovery, reforms carried out by the government
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What did the Conservative government's reforms show?
That even a parliament in which the poor had no say was capable of recognising and responding to distress in industrial areas and passing reforms
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What are some examples of the conservative government's reforms?
Reduction of import taxes on some foodstuffs and reintroducing income tax which only the well-off paid.
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Why were chartist hopes kept alive?
Because of O'Connor's scheme to establish rural chartist communities. Chartists could buy shares in the company and if their name was drawn they would receive plots of land to cultivate - hugely popular
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How did the authorities respond to the rural chartist communities?
The found a legal technicality the enabled them to wind up the community.
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When was O'Connor elected to parliament and why was this significant for the movement?
In the 1847 general election which was significant as he was the only chartist to succeed in doing so
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What inspired the creation of the third chartist petition and convention in April 1848?
O'Connor's election to parliament and news of another revolution in France
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Why did support for Chartism increase again in 1848?
The return of economic depression and the resulting distress that was experienced in the industrial area
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Where were the chartists planning to meet before the third petition was presented to parliament?
Kennington common
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What was the government's response to the planned meeting at Kennington Common?
The government were well prepared- they had 7000 troops 4000 policemen and 85,000, mostly middle class, special constables.
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How many attended the meeting at Kennington Common?
only about 20,000
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How many signatures had the petition received?
5 million
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What was the problem with the third petition and how did parliament respond?
A parliamentary committee examined the petition and declared that less than half of the signatures were genuine. Again it was rejected
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How did the Chartist heartlands of Lancashire and Yorkshire respond to the rejection of the third petition?
An upsurge of violence resulting in many more arrests
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When did support for Chartism decline rapidly?
After 1848
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What shows that Chartism was a failure?
None of the 6 points of the charter were achieved until much later (annual parliaments never accepted). The governing classes were never going to give way and were determined to exclude the middle classes.
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What are some examples of positive outcomes for the Chartists?
Hundreds of thousands of men and women gained valuable political experience and became more independent and resourceful. The working classes continued to be involved in politics, later setting up trade unions and helping to establish the Labour party
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What was the National Charter Association?

Back

A national political organisation. It set up branches across Britain and members paid subscriptions to join. Seen as the first independent, working class political party, forerunner of the Labour Party

Card 3

Front

When was the National Charter Association set up and who encouraged its establishment?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

By 1842, how many members of the National Charter Association were there?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What are some examples of William Lovett's 'new moves'?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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