Peterloo Massacre

E914

The Peterloo Massacre was an 1819 incident in Manchester where cavalry charged into a large, peaceful pro-democracy rally, killing and injuring many protesters and becoming a pivotal moment in British political reform history.


Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf historical event
massacre
political repression incident
protest
hasAlternativeName Peterloo
hasCause authorities' attempt to disperse a mass meeting for parliamentary reform
cavalry charge into a peaceful political rally
hasCity Manchester
hasCommemoration annual commemorations in Manchester
hasConsequence growth of the reform movement
increased government repression in the short term
passage of the Six Acts
public outrage across Britain
hasCountry England
United Kingdom
hasDate 1819-08-16
hasEstimatedCrowdSize around 60,000
hasEtymology name is a pun on the Battle of Waterloo
hasKeyFigure Henry Hunt
William Hulton
hasLegalContext took place under the repressive post-Napoleonic War climate
hasLocation St Peter's Field, Manchester
hasLongTermImpact became a symbol of the struggle for democracy in Britain
influenced the 1832 Reform Act
strengthened campaign for parliamentary reform
hasMediaCoverage extensively reported in radical press
hasMemorial Peterloo Memorial in Manchester
hasMotive demand for parliamentary reform
demand for universal male suffrage
protest against lack of representation for industrial towns
protest against the Corn Laws
hasNature peaceful demonstration before the charge
hasNumberOfDeaths approximately 15
hasNumberOfInjured several hundred
hasOpponents British government authorities
local magistracy
hasParticipants 15th Hussars
Manchester and Salford Yeomanry
local magistrates
peaceful pro-democracy protesters
hasRelatedEvent 1819 British reform movement
Battle of Waterloo
hasRelatedLegislation Six Acts
hasSubjectInArt paintings and prints depicting the massacre
hasSubjectInLiterature works on British radicalism and reform
hasYear 1819
isDescribedAs pivotal moment in British political reform history
turning point in the history of British democracy
tookPlaceIn Industrial Revolution


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