After Peterloo: Protest, Rebellion, and the Cato Street Conspiracy
How close did Britain come to revolution in 1819-20? The ‘Peterloo massacre’ of August 1819 in Manchester was a landmark event in British radicalism. The wave of protests and disturbances which followed was stronger and more widespread than the radical campaign itself. It involved the whole spectrum...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Presses Universitaires du Midi
2021-10-01
|
| Series: | Caliban: French Journal of English Studies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/caliban/10085 |
| _version_ | 1797311022591115264 |
|---|---|
| author | Robert Poole |
| author_facet | Robert Poole |
| author_sort | Robert Poole |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | How close did Britain come to revolution in 1819-20? The ‘Peterloo massacre’ of August 1819 in Manchester was a landmark event in British radicalism. The wave of protests and disturbances which followed was stronger and more widespread than the radical campaign itself. It involved the whole spectrum of opposition from cautious Whig aristocrats through insurgent northern workers to London’s ultra-radicals, who attempted to assassinate the government in the Cato Street conspiracy of February 1820. This essay uses the wealth of material in the UK National Archives to examine the connections between these movements, and to assess how viable were plans for insurrection. It concludes that the London ultra-radicals, whilst giving the appearance of leading, had become isolated from the main radical movement by late 1819. The Cato Street conspiracy happened not because a national rising was expected but because one had already failed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T01:52:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f851413c1cb44fd8b7c4cf49d9b4890d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2425-6250 2431-1766 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T01:52:32Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | Presses Universitaires du Midi |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Caliban: French Journal of English Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-f851413c1cb44fd8b7c4cf49d9b4890d2024-02-14T09:26:35ZengPresses Universitaires du MidiCaliban: French Journal of English Studies2425-62502431-17662021-10-016510514110.4000/caliban.10085After Peterloo: Protest, Rebellion, and the Cato Street ConspiracyRobert PooleHow close did Britain come to revolution in 1819-20? The ‘Peterloo massacre’ of August 1819 in Manchester was a landmark event in British radicalism. The wave of protests and disturbances which followed was stronger and more widespread than the radical campaign itself. It involved the whole spectrum of opposition from cautious Whig aristocrats through insurgent northern workers to London’s ultra-radicals, who attempted to assassinate the government in the Cato Street conspiracy of February 1820. This essay uses the wealth of material in the UK National Archives to examine the connections between these movements, and to assess how viable were plans for insurrection. It concludes that the London ultra-radicals, whilst giving the appearance of leading, had become isolated from the main radical movement by late 1819. The Cato Street conspiracy happened not because a national rising was expected but because one had already failed.https://journals.openedition.org/caliban/10085radicalismPeterlooparliamentary reformpetitioningdemocracyCato Street conspiracy |
| spellingShingle | Robert Poole After Peterloo: Protest, Rebellion, and the Cato Street Conspiracy Caliban: French Journal of English Studies radicalism Peterloo parliamentary reform petitioning democracy Cato Street conspiracy |
| title | After Peterloo: Protest, Rebellion, and the Cato Street Conspiracy |
| title_full | After Peterloo: Protest, Rebellion, and the Cato Street Conspiracy |
| title_fullStr | After Peterloo: Protest, Rebellion, and the Cato Street Conspiracy |
| title_full_unstemmed | After Peterloo: Protest, Rebellion, and the Cato Street Conspiracy |
| title_short | After Peterloo: Protest, Rebellion, and the Cato Street Conspiracy |
| title_sort | after peterloo protest rebellion and the cato street conspiracy |
| topic | radicalism Peterloo parliamentary reform petitioning democracy Cato Street conspiracy |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/caliban/10085 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT robertpoole afterpeterlooprotestrebellionandthecatostreetconspiracy |