An age of protest 1790 - 18301. What situations produced restlessness in Britain?

Britain became a restlessness country as it people were affected in different ways by: The French Revolution and ideas of equality and liberty.

The Industrial Revolution which created new social classes as well as large towns and cities where men, women and children worked in the new factory system.

The changes in agriculture where, increasingly in 1820s, new, steam-driven machinery created unemployment.

The economic effects of the Jong War against France including higher prices for food and the post-war demand by landowners and farmers for a ban on the import of foreign food.

2. Mention 3 Radicals and mention what they did. Radicals recognized that Britain had undergone great changes since about 1750. They knew that new social groups had emerged as a cause of the Industrial Revolution, and that they were growing. There was a new rich class of merchants, industrialists, traders, and so on who were the main gainers from the industrial changes. But there was also a smaller but growing group of skilled workmen, who were the builders of the new machinery, new bridges and roads. Francis Place (1771-1854) campaigned for the right of working men to have trade unions and the right to vote: he was to help write the Peoples` Charter for the Chartist Movement. Henry Hunt (1773- 1835), known as Orator Hunt, campaigned for the abolition of the Corn Laws, democracy and Parliamentary Reforms. In 1819 he was the main speaker at the Paterloo Massacre, which cost him three years in prison. He became an MP in 1831.

William Cobett (1763-1835) he was a radical with a confused mix of ideas. He expressed these ideas in the Political Register, a paper which he started in 1802. He was opposed to the new industrialism and the new towns, he called London: The Great Wen". In this paper, we read of his anger at the disappearance of small farmers because of the changes in farming. However, he campaigned for Parliamentary Reform and he was violently opposed to the unjust way in which the government tried to suppress popular demonstrations. 3. Who was Ned Ludd? What did he do?Ned Ludd was the leader of the activities of the militant textile workers. He tried to stop industrialist from putting machinery into factories, reducing the number of men needed to produce textiles, and lowering wages for those who got work. In 1811 Luddites rebels in the midlands attacked mills where stocking frames and cropping machines were the main target. Many stocking markets in Nottingham and Derbyshare gave way to the luddites and the revolt ended in February 1812. Then the government sent troops and declared that the breaking of machinery carried the death penalty. Luddite leaders were arrested and 17 of them were executed in 1813. Luddism then died out. 4. What were the food riots?Food riotswere attacks to farms, homes or even government buildings carried out by poorly-paid farm workers due to the scarcity and high prices of food. 5. How did the end of the French Wars affect England?The end of the French wars immediately made the position of England worse:

300.000 soldiers and sailor were released from the forces to face unemployment.

The government stopped buying weapons, uniforms and other goods creating more unemployment.

Workers had to take cuts in wages since employers could always find others to replace those who asked for more.

Since workers had lower incomes, they bought less goods creating more unemployment. 6. Explain the situation of farmworkers around 1820.During the war (French war) it had not been possible to import foreign corn. This led to an expansion of British wheat farming and to higher prices. These high prices meant high incomes for farmers who could pay higher rents to the landowners. They controlled Parliament so that when peace broke out in 1815 they pushed through a law aimed at keeping these high prices. The law was the Corn Law and said that no corn could be imported until the price of British corn had reached 80 shilling a quarter. This kept the price of bread high and meant an even harder life for the low-paid.7. What was the income tax?The Income tax (1798) had to be paid by anyone earning over 60 a year with those earning over 200 a year paying 10% of their incomes in taxation. This direct tax was unpopular with those who had to pay it, but it had no effect on the wages or taxes of the mass of the people who earned much less than 60 a year. In 1816 Parliament, controlled by the rich, abolished this temporary tax. 8. Talk about the bread or blood riots.The Bread or blood riots took place in 1816 where Anglian farm-workers destroyed the crops. In London a riot followed a meeting at Spa Fields in Islington where Henry Hunt had got the crowd to support a resolution demanding Parliamentary Reform. Some rioters broke into a gunsmith`s shop and marched on the Royal Exchange where they confronted the Lord Mayor of London with their demands. They were dispersed by the army. 9. What did the Blanketeers do and why were they called like that?The Blanketeers were a group of unemployed cotton workers who in 17817 set out from Manchester to London to persuade Parliament to change the laws on wages and working conditions. Their march collapsed at Derby where they rioted instead. They were called like that because they carried blankets for use at night.

10. What were the Gag acts for?In 1819, following the Paterloo Massacre, the government pushed through 6 acts called The Gag Acts which aimed banning:

Any form of military training

Public meetings except with the permission of magistrates.

Publications criticizing the government The printing of cheap papers

The private holding of weapons

The slow process of arrest, trial and verdicts. 2