46 replies to this topic

[Bendorian]

Thanks for clearing what the new towns are - yes we have covered it. I do however need help with cottage system living conditions.

Also, i was listening to the Larkhall Academy mp3 files and they said i sould know about crop rotation and runrig farming processes, e.g. plowing and harrowing. How much depth dso i need to k now these in.

Many Thanks.

[littlemissy]

Hi,

The Larkhall files cover the domestic system - just listen to the stuff about 'rural housing or housing in the countryside on track 6.

You would never get a question solely on crop rotation. You need to know what crop rotation is and why it's a good thing. It might come up in a question such as 'describe improvements in farming in Scotland after 1750' or 'explain why improvements in farming led to greater output' where you would mention crop rotation among other improvements.

Runrigs - you may well be asked to describe the run rug system, or explain why it was inefficient. So again you just need to know what they were, you won't be asked a 4 mark question just on ploughing or harrowing! You may also be asked to describe improvements in technology in farming, so you need to know the old tools so you can compare them to the new machines. Also that farming using these old methods was difficult, back breaking and labour intensive in case you're asked about working conditions under the old farming system.

Hope this helps.

[Bendorian]

Thanks

Sorry for asking so many questions but i was listening to the Larkhall MP3 file on political representation and on the radicals topic, it mention a strike and other actions taken by the radicals. What do I need to know about the radicals (I know about Bonnymuir and Peterloo).

Thank You !!

[littlemissy]

Oooh! Quite a lot unfortunately! And with a few different angles I'll post agin tomorrow night - a really horrible question came up at credit on this a few years ago and I want to check which year in school tomorrow. I'll also post a few different question types that you should be able to answer. If you don't mind me asking. are you in S3 or S4? G/C I presume?

[Bendorian]

To answer your question - I'm in 4th year doing general/credit (more credit).

[littlemissy]

Sorry for delay. For the radicals at Credit you would need to know why they were unhappy / wanted reform, what methods they used, plus what happened at Bonnymuir and Peterloo. Plus that there wasn't really enormous support for them in terms of the actual numbers ready to fight. Possibly why the movement failed, but you'd be really unlucky to get that. I don't think it's ever come up at Credit without a source attached.

Try these:
"Describe the methods used by the Radicals in Scotland".
"How successful was the Radical movement in Scotland?"
"Explain why there was opposition to the Government 1750-1850"
"Describe the events at Bonnymuir / Peterloo"

It's not a good topic because it's quite 'bitty', it wasn't a large, cohesive movement with a single defining aim.

[Bendorian]

Thanks, but i was wondering what i need to know about the general strike in Glasgow and the Strathaven Rising? My teacher said we need to know about it but i have little notes on them.

[littlemissy]

Again, you would not be asked a question (in the actual Standard Grade exam) purely on either Strathaven or the strike, just that it happened - unlike Peterloo / Bonnymuir which is stated in the syllabus so you could get asked a question on the events there.

You would talk about the events in a more general question on methods used by the Radicals or evidence of discontent or unrest. The horrible question I mentioned earlier was on evidence there wasn't much support for the Radical movement.

I'll try to keep it simple since you don't need a great deal of detail. There had been unhappiness and unrest for some time. The so called 'Radical War' in Glasgow was really only about a week of uprisings. At the start of April a 'proclamation' (poster) appeared calling all workers to strike and to rise up against the Government. Many, many thousands did go on strike across central Scotland (not just Glasgow), and there were also reports of small skirmishes with troops, people parading with arms and so on. A group of men left Strathaven to march to Cathkin where they were told they would meet up with a larger force. Nothing really happened! They were warned of troops waiting for them, some went home, some went to Cathkin where they found nobody so they also left! However the ringleaders were later arrested. There were other similar small marches / demonstrations in Stirling, Paisley etc that either ended in nothing or small fights with guards.

Why did it all fail? Well, firstly 'insurrection' was brutally dealt with by the Government. A number of Radical leaders were swiftly arrested, hung and beheaded for high treason and others deported. Government posters appeared threatening anyone who sided with the Radicals including striking, marching and so on. Secondly, it was very badly organised without a major driving force. This may be due to the fact that many of the leading Radicals were already in prison before the 'war' even started but there is also lots of evidence that the Radicals had been infiltrated by Government spies who were trying to organise events (badly - so they didn't succeed) in order to 'out' Radical leaders. This would explain why so many demonstrations seemed to be known about by troops who could lie in wait for them.

[littlemissy]

A wee video link to help.

Scotland's history

Start at the battle of Waterloo as it gives background to the unrest, then watch the Radical War link. Also of relevance to your time period is The Electoral Reform Act, the People's Charter and the Fight Against Cholera.

[Bendorian]

Thanks for that. i really appreciate your help. What do i need to know about the growing unrest in the countryside and the consequences.

[littlemissy]

To be honest I'm not sure what you're thinking about! There was growing unrest all over Scotland, you don't need to know anything specific about the countryside. That said, you may be thinking about either the aftermath of the Clearances or the plight of the Handloom weavers. The consequences were, well - unrest! which means unhappiness and a desire for change that was spurred on by knowledge of the revolutions in France and America. There was a deep recession after the wars with France,, people were hungry, unemployed, working and living conditions were bad for many and most couldn't vote to change things.

[Bendorian]

Well, my teacher told me to know about captain swing riots (I already asked about on this forum), attempts to form unions. Do I need to know about anything else??

[littlemissy]

May I just ask - were you given info on the Swing Riots (not the Captain Swing Riots) in a book or via powerpoint etc? And could you clarify (sorry!) what were told about attempts to form 'unions' in the country? Sorry, it's just that it would be really useful to know what you've been told. may I ask ask which textbook you're using in school? Is it by Craig Madden?

[Bendorian]

My teacher gave us a powerpoint to copy with the following info:


Reasons why unrest grew in the countryside after 1750 are:

• The Enclosure Movement and the introduction of new machinery meant there was less need for manual labour,
• Thousands of farm labourers lost their jobs,
• Anger was directed against new machinery (threshing machine).

As a result,
• Captain Swing Riots started in England in 1820’s,
• Landowners sent threatening letters signed ‘Captain Swing’,
• Some labourers, e.g. Tolpuddle Martyrs, tried unsuccessfully to form unions to improve working conditions.

And we use the textbook by Craig Madden in class when we need to but we are not given it to take home.
So, is this all i need to know and what are the swing riots you talked about (do i need to know about it and if so, what is it?)

[littlemissy]

The Swing riots are just the same as the Captain Swing riots, they're usually just called the Swing riots. I don't think you need to know any more than your teacher has told you. This probably wouldn't come up in a politics question but in a question on changes in working and living conditions in the country, or possibly effects of changes in technology. Just be aware that the Swing Riots and Tolpuddle Martyrs were in England (just in case the question asks purely about Scotland.) Going back to your previous questions, there is a set of bullet points in your Madden book giving reasons why the Radicals / Middle Classes were discontent.

I meant to say before - people often differentiate between militant Radicals (those who took direct action) and other Radicals (who wanted reform but were peaceful) in case it comes up in a source.