People in the Midlands that
worked in the knitting industry
Why?
Factory workers brought in new
machines so the workers were no
longer needed
Machines made poorer
quality product but were
cheaper
Their jobs and way of
life were threatened
At the same time people were losing
jobs food prices were also increasing
Increased poverty and
people unable to support
and provide for their
families
They were unable to
vote for change
Ultimately wanted revolution
What?
They attacked the
machines that had
replaced them
In 1812 it was made a captial offence
to wreck a machine
Led by 'General
Ned Ludd'
Soldiers brought in to
protect the factories and
machines
Luddites fought with soldiers
Threatened and
attacked bosses
Tolpuddle Martyrs
Who?
Group of farm
labourers from
Tolpuddle, Dorset
Why?
Already low wages were
being cut
High food prices
Poverty
Influenced by
Captain Swing riots 1830
When?
1833-1836
What?
George Loveless set up a
trade union in Tolpuddle
The Friendly Society of
Agricultural Labourers
Strikes were banned but the
Trade Unions Act 1825 made
trade unions legal
The members swore
the the society's rules
When local magistry heard
they obtianed the approval of
Home Secretary Lord
Melbourne to arrest them
Huge fear of riots
and revolution
Arrested for
taking an
'Unlawful Oath'
Sentenced to
minimum 7
years
transportation
Only
served 3
years
Received
unfair trial
One month after the trial a procession of 35 unions
marched to Whitehall to give a 200000 signature
petitions to Lord Melbourne but he refused
Rebecca Riots
Who?
Farmers in Wales who dressed
as women to hide their identity
Why?
Tolls
The Turnpike
Trust added tolls
on to gates
This heavily
impacted farmers
going to and from
the market selling
produce
Used money to
add more gates
Tithes
Money paid
to the Church
of England
Most welsh farmers
were metheodist or
baptist and so tithes
didn't benefit them
Poverty
Only had small farms
Income of £180 a year
Rates, tolls, tithes,
wages and rent left
them with £50
Rates
Was a tax for the poor u sed to
build workhouses - where
unemployed/ unable to work
went - in England
No benefit
for them
What?
Started to attack gates
and the Turnpike Trust
1843 they turned on other targets -
e.g farmers with more than one
farm, fathers who deserted families
and anyone the community
disproved of
Juries were afraid to convict
rioters as they had become
enforcers of community feelings
Sir Robert Peel had tolls
and tithes reduced for
farmers and more welsh
magistrates appointed
When?
1839-1844
Match Girls
Who?
Teenage girls and women that
lived in poverty in East London
and worked at Bryant and May
Match-making Works
When?
1888
Why?
Long hours and low pay
Fined for petty offences,
asked for permission to use
toilet, sometimes beaten,
health risks - red
phosphorous stained skin and
'phossy jaw' was fatal bone
cancer
Clementina Black found out
about the conditions and tried
to encourage the women to
join trade unions
Clemetina gave a talk to the London Fabian
Society which took Annie Besant's interest.
She then interviewed workers and published
an article
What?
After Annie's article Mr Bryant denied the claims and made
his workers sign a paper saying they were happy to work,
those who refused were fired. That caused 200 women to
leave work and go to Annie's office.
Advised by Clementina, Besant set up
the Union of Match Workers and soon
they were all striking. They were
supported by the salvation army,
newspapers and received strike pay
The Suffragettes
(WSPU)
When?
1897-1814
Who?
Radical
women's rights
group
Why?
Women were treated as the
lesser gender
Men thought the
woman's role was in
the home
Was thought women were not
rational and so incapable to
make big decisions
THE VOTE
Policians thought you
should own a home to
get the vote
Suffragists
(NUWSS) - the
peaceful protesters -
were not achieving a
lot with their methods
What?
Smashed windows,
fires, bombed a
politician's house, went
on hunger strike etc.
Cat and Mouse Act - when
suffragettes went on hunger
strike now, instead of force
feeding them the women were
released and re-arrested once
they were stronger
Emily Davidson
became a martyr for
the suffragettes during the 1913 Derby