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CHARTISM 1838-50 - Coggle Diagram
CHARTISM 1838-50
CHANGING SUPPORT
- Strong support in Industrial Midlands and North - Anti-Poor Law associations
- Manchester textile districts
- Industrial areas of Scotland
- Ireland - never gained support - Irish nationalist more concerned with young Ireland
- Size of London meant geographically and demographically it was difficult to maintain support
NORTHERN STAR SALES
1838 - 10,000
1839 - 36,000
1845 - 6000
WOMEN
Chartism Sunday schools set up
Boycotting anti-Chartist shops 'exclusive dealing' Sewing banners and hosting events
100 female chartist organisations and 23 in scotland
Some leaders willing to entertain women eg Richardson who wrote 'The Rights of Women' 1842
Most viewed women as helping their husbands
Little Women at Kennington Common 1849
MIDDLE CLASS
At the Start there was decent sympathy and support
Some attended National Convention 1839
Lost support after Anti-Corn Law League tried to affiliate with Chartists 1839
Lost Support after Newport Rising - too violent
TRADE SOCIETIES
Skilled WC support Petitions fit well with close communities and trades
After banning of trade union activity in 1825, many felt Chartism was the way to express themselves
BUT many were economically driven, not political (21 out of 23 in a questionnaire) - as seen in Plug Plot riots 1842
WHY FAIL
DIVIDED WC
Some wanted political opportunity but most wanted economic equality, many also wanted education
TRADE UNIONS
National Charter Association tried to make links but failed
Unionists more economic
O'Connor changed name of Northern Star to Trades Journal but still failed
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GOV ACTION
- Police forces
Peel and Met police 1829 Rural police Act 1829 allowed local authorities to have own police forces
- Electric Telegraph
Gov received telegraph about 3rd petition
RAIL NETWORK - partly success
First passenger railway 1830 two waves of railway mania 1836-8 and 1844-46 led to creation of 5000 miles of railway
Helped establish national Charter Association
Carry copies of Northern Star
During Bull Ring Riots in Birmingham, 60 met police could get from London in a few hours and dispersed the rioters
WHY
SUCCESS OF THE WAR OF THE UNSTAMPED Hetherington's 'The Poor Man's Newspaper' had no stamp and was 1d - despite gov pressure, he continued - Gov reduced stamp tax to 1d
DISAPPOINTMENT 1832 GRA
Many had marched in support, but did not feel the benefit
POOR LAW AMMENDMENT 1834
Abolished 'outdoor relief' so was now only available in workhouses
Workhouses made deliberately hated ANTI-POOR LAW CAMPAIGN
Radical leaders toured the country - speeches, raising funds and setting up local clubs in Industrial North
- Fergus O'Connor set up Northern Star newspaper
FAILURES OF FACTORY ACT 1833 Parliament opposed reform of factories - Extend regulation of working conditions and hours to adults as well as children
EMERGENCE
BIRMINGHAM
Radical MP Thomas Atwood revitalised the Birmingham Political Union (universal suffrage and greater working class rights)
Birmingham heart of the Industrial Revolution
GROUPS
LONDON WORKING MENS ASSOCIATION
1836
Lovett
Small membership of artisans
Education opportunities as well as political and social
Moral Force
BPU
1837
Attwood
Middle and WC (vital in agitation for GRA)
Moral Force
GREAT NORTHERN UNION
1837
O'Connor
Unskilled workers and Irish immigrants
Norther Star newspaper
Physical Force
UNITED
May 1838 LWMA and BPU attended meeting of 200,000 and agreed to join under common goal of parliamentary reform
Aug 1838 Birmingham Meeting: People's Charter
- Vote for all men 21+
- Secret Ballot
- No property qualification for mps
- Payment of members
- Equal constituencies
- Annual Parliaments
GNU joins them - Sept 1838 crowd of 50,000
NATIONAL CONVENTION 1839
Feb 1839
Division between the type of action that should be taken
'Sacred Month' - strike on taxable items to disrupt the economy (most workers cannot go without money for this time)
Moral vs Physical Force
PETITION 1842
CONTEXT
Peel's Conservative Government elected 1841 Unemployment widespread and several towns had mass unemployment in Dundee, 1/2 of mechanics were unemployed
New Poor Law was not designed to cope with this
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PLUG PLOT RIOTS
1842 Chartist response to defeat influenced by economic issues
Wage reductions in Lancashire and Yorkshire cotton trades
Strikers removed plugs from boilers and brought factories to standstills
Did involve chartists but was denounced by O'Connor in Northern Star
1842 good harvest and unemployment began to fall
WHAT PEOPLE DID
NATIONAL CHARTER ASSOCIATION 1840
National Convention had lost support from BPU which gave leadership, legitimacy (Atwood MP) and direction
National Charter Association formed - soon into O'Connor's leadership
400 associations and membership of 70,000
Suggested the first political party of the WC
Instead of splitting into specific focuses of education or religion, O'Conor remained dedicated to charter as a whole
To celebrate O'Connor's release in 1841, he did a national tour and the the second petition
LOVETT AND EDUCATION
Lovett in prison 1839 focused on education, stating it was the key to individual advancement
Formed the National Association but was denounced by O'Connor because it was too far from charter
Underfuned and failed to gain support
By 1850s, NA ended 'Knowledge Chartism'
O'CONNOR CHARTIST LAND PLAN 1845
Remove workers frost owns and settle them on small farms in the countryside
Introduced because support for Chartism was decreasing
BUT
Plan underfunded and only 350 families relocated under the scheme, by 1851 only 46 families remained
PETITION 1839
June
Document 3 miles long with 1.2 million signatures 1/4 of them were women
Home Office anticipated riots so recruited special constables
14 July - Hoc voted on the petition - rejected 235 to 46
IMPACT
BPU withdrew, concerned by diminishing support
Gov decided against Chartism and arrested hundreds of leaders - including Lovett
PETITION 1848
CONTEXT
Downturn of trade led to general depression 1847, Whig Government victory 1847
Mass meeting to be held on Kennington Common April 1848
Only 25,000 showed up (raining) - hoped for 200,000
Home Office prepared for the meeting and enlisted 150,000 special constables
Few women from surviving photographs
O'Connor dispersed the meeting and presented the petition to parliament - said it had 5 million, but only 2 million genuine
NEWPORT RISING Nov 1839
Aug 1838 - Welsh Chartist Henry Vincent was sentenced to 1 year in prison for unlawful assembly
Mass show in support of him
John Frost led one of the 3 marches which was over 10,000
Met together at Newport Nov 3rd and gathered Westgate Hotel where several Chartists were held
Police fired into the crowd and it dispursed
22 dead, over 50 injured
AFTERMATH
Frost and 2 others charged with high treason and sentenced to death
Fearing further rioting, the gov reduced sentence to transportation
Gov viewed Chartism as violent