Chartism

Chartism

1. Causes

   • The French Revolution
     • Commoners rebelled against ruling class
     • British higher classes feared the same in England
       • If reforms were not met
     • Soldiers returning from Waterloo needed work and fair life
   • Impact of Industrial Revolution
     • Working class
       • Low pay and high tax
       • No vote
     • Factory owners
       • Wealthy and successful
       • No vote
     • Poor finding it harder to work
       • New machines reduced manual labour
       • Machines also reduced need for skilled workers
   • Starvation and Hardship
     • Corn Laws
       • Designed to protect profits of farmers
         • Prices kept high
       • Poor could not afford bread
     • Poor harvests
       • People left starving
         • Could no longer wait for change
   • Great Reform Act 1832
     • Middle class
       • Merchants
       • Industrialists
       • Did well from the Act
     • Working class
       • Frustrated
       • Did not qualify to vote

2. Key Events

   • Stage 1: Protest
     • Peterloo Massacre 1819
       • St. Peter's Field, Manchester
       • Protesters listened to radical speakers
         • e.g. Henry Hunt
       • Local Magistrate called local militia
         • Panicked due to number of protestors
         • Militia were reportedly drunk
       • 600 people wounded
       • 15 dead
       • Authorities responded with violence
         • Government passed the Six Acts
           • Any meeting more than 50 people considered act of treason
   • Stage 2: Legislation
     • Change of leadership
       • Whigs replace Tories in parliament
         • Led by Earl Grey
       • King William IV open to reform
     • Thomas Attwood's petition for change
       • Attwood founded BPU 1829
       • Petitioned:
         • Shorter parliaments
         • End of property qualifications
         • Vote for all taxpayers
       • 8000 signatures rejected
       • BPU vowed to cooperate inside the law
         • Made it harder to be banned
         • Focused on middle and lower classes working together for change
         • Called for people to not pay taxes
           • Frightened the king
         • Copy organisations appeared over the country
   • Stage 3: Chartism

3. Significance