专八人文知识精讲(8)：大英帝国的兴衰

3．Typical examples of the inventions during the Industrial Revolution

(1) John Kay's flying shuttle in 1733;

(2) James Hargreaves' Spinning Jenny in 1766;

(3) Richard Arkwright's waterframe in 1769;

(4) Samuel Crompton's mule in 1779;

(5) Edmund Cartwright's power loom in 1784;

(6) James Watt's steam engine in 1765.

4．Consequences of the industrial Revolution

(1) Britain was by 1830 the "workshop of the world";

(2) Towns grew rapidly and became the source of the nation's wealth.

(3) Mechanization destroyed the livelihood of those who could not invest in it . The working men worked and lived in a appalling conditions.

(4) The industrial revolution created the industrial working class, the proletariat, and it later led to trade unionism.

1. Reasons for parliamentary reforms.

(1) Power was monopolized by the aristocrats.

(2) Representation of town and country, and North and South was unfair.

(3) There were also various so-called rotten or pocket boroughs.

2．Three Reform Bills

Between 1832 and 1884 three Reform Bills were passed.

a) The Reform Act of 1832 (also called the "Greater Charter of 1832) abolished "rotten boroughs", and redistributed parliamentary seats more fairly among the growing towns. It also gave the vote to many householders and tenant's, based on the value of their property.

b) The New Poor Law of 1834 forced the poor people into work houses instead of giving them sufficient money to survive in their own homes.

3．A People's Charter

There was widespread dissatisfaction with the Reform Act of 1832 and the New Poor Law. In 1836, a group of skilled workers and small shopkeepers formed the London Working Men's Association. They drew up a charter of political demands (a People's Charter) in 1838, with the intention of presenting it to Parliament. It had six points: (1)the vote for all adult males; (2)voting by secret ballot; (3)equal electoral districts; (4)abolition of property qualifications for members of Parliament; (5)payment of members of Parliament; (6)annual Parliaments, with a General Election every June.

4．Results of the Chartist Movement

Chartism failed because of its weak and divided leadership, and its lack of coordination with trade-unionism. The working class still immature, without the leadership of a political party armed with correct revolutionary theory. The Chartist movement was, however, the first nationwide working class movement and drew attention to serious problems. The 6 points were achieved very gradually over the period of 1858-1918, although the sixth has never been practical. Lenin said that Chartism was "the first broad, really mass, politically formed, proletarian revolutionary movement."