levo

Britain, c1785–c1870: Democracy, Protest and Reform

Unions and their opponents, c1785–1834

  • 3 things to know
  • Paper 1

Overview

Recall questions on trade societies and knobsticks, the Combination Acts and their repeal, the Tolpuddle Martyrs, and why the early general unions collapsed.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Key term

In the struggle over early trade unionism, what was 'the Document'?

Numbers

Who were the Tolpuddle Martyrs?

Numbers

What was the Grand National Consolidated Trades Union?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What did the Combination Acts of 1799–1800 do?

    Model answer

    They banned workers from combining together in trade unions to bargain over wages and conditions.

  2. 2

    Who were the Tolpuddle Martyrs?

    Model answer

    Six Dorset agricultural labourers transported to Australia in 1834 for swearing secret oaths when forming a union, later pardoned after public protest.

  3. 3

    What was the Grand National Consolidated Trades Union?

    Model answer

    An ambitious general union formed in 1834, associated with Robert Owen, which aimed to unite many trades but collapsed within a year.

  4. 4

    What were trade societies?

    Model answer

    Local clubs of skilled craftsmen that combined benefit functions with control of entry to the trade and the maintenance of customary wages.

  5. 5

    What were knobsticks?

    Model answer

    Workers who took the place of men on strike; the word carried heavy stigma, and pressure against them was central to the enforcement of any dispute.

  6. 6

    Why did the government pass the Combination Acts?

    Model answer

    Fear of Jacobinism during the French wars, on the view that any organised association of workmen was potentially seditious as well as a restraint of trade.

Other ways to work this

The same content, four other ways.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

1Closed book
2Open book
3Closed book

The 3-step method, run for you

Answer cold, learn it, then prove it stuck. Levo tracks the jump between your first attempt and your last.

The Crusades, c1095–1204
England, 1509–1603: Authority, Nation and Religion
Britain, 1625–1701: Conflict, Revolution and Settlement
Britain, c1785–c1870: Democracy, Protest and Reform

Cram a whole paper in one sitting

Sort every topic into what you know and what you do not, then drill only the weak ones.

Luis de .
RequesensAlbaGranvelle

Blank Blitz makes facts automatic

Rapid timed gap-fills on the terms and numbers you need to recall without thinking.

AThe government admitted 96 dead and 333 wounded.
BOther estimates run to several hundred dead.
COpponents claimed thousands.

Build It gets the exam shape right

Assemble a full-mark answer from its marking points, in the order an examiner wants them.

Robert Aske led the Pilgrimage of Grace.
TrueFalse

Test It catches misconceptions

Spot the fault in a statement. The traps are the mistakes students actually make.

721941163128510

Brain Breaks between sessions

Short focus games to reset attention, so the next set lands better than the last.

Every question in Britain, c1785–c1870: Democracy, Protest and Reform, on a schedule.

Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.

Or £46 a year, about £3.83 a month. Cancel anytime.