Chartism Causes of Chartism
Chartism was the movement which supported the six points of the People’s Long Term
Charter of 1838. The Charter demanded
The long term causes lay in the considerable strains caused by
Universal male suffrage for ever man over 21 rapid rise in population and economic change. In 1801 78% of
There should be no property qualifications on voting for or being people lived in rural areas but by 1851 50% of Britons lived in
an MP urban areas. The growth of industries especially coal, textiles,
Annual elections to parliament engineering and metals, had resulted in larger workforces. The
Equal electoral districts so constituencies are near equal size thus number of handloom weaves in 1810 was 200,000 while there
removing small boroughs with several MPs and give more seats to were 100,000 textile factory workers but by 1850 there were only
the underrepresented northern cities 10,000 handloom weavers but 331,000 textile factory workers.
MPs should be paid so that ordinary working class people could be Domestic workers suffered from competition from factories,
elected, the charter proposed a £500 salary falling prices as more efficient and cheaper production undercut
Voting by secret ballet stopping employers and landowners them and from fluctuations in trade as more goods were produced
intimidating poorer people into voting the way they wanted resulting in over production.
Factory workers experienced harsh conditions, long hours,
The Charter was drawn up by William Lovett who belonged to an dangerous workplaces and low wages caused by growing supply
organisation called the London Working Men’s Association. It was of labour.
presented to parliament in May 1839. Period of 1836-1843 was one largely of depression. Rises in bread
Supporters of Chartism prices caused hardship and political protest like Chartism gained
increasing support from the victims of economic change.
The meeting that launched the peoples charter in Glasgow 159,000 people Urban growth also contributed as people were away from the
came and the petition presented to parliament had 1.2 million signatures. traditional authority of landowners and Anglican parsons so were
The Chartist newspaper The Northern Star had 40,000 readers in 1839. In more willing to challenge authority.
1848 a petition bearing over 5 million signatures was presented to The growth of the popular press spread new ideas.
parliament. A wave of strikes following the rejection of a petition signed Rapid urban growth brought poor housing and sanitation
by 3.3 million people in 1842 affected 23 counties and led to mass arrests. problems. With little medical knowledge the death rates especially
The scale of protest and disturbance was unprecedented and extended over of children soared.
a long period. It coincided with a rise in trade union activity, continued
unrest in Ireland against the Act of Union and the protests of the ACLL. Short Term
The period of 1830-1850 was one of the most politically disturbed in
The excitement for parliamentary reform in 1830-1832 and
history.
disappointment with its results for the working man. The growth
, in the electorate was limited and so political unions remained In 1847 a further economic downturn aided what would prove to be a short
active and demanded more political change. term revival of Chartism. Although a revival was nationwide it is most
Most had been unproductive, 10 hour working day, trade unions remembered for the mass meeting on Kennington Common in London in
did little and the Tolpuddle martyrs were heavily punished, the 1848.The authorities were alarmed by the planned meeting and advised
working class was discontent Queen Victoria to leave the capital, but when it occurred the authorities’
By the late 1830s the grievances of the workers were increasing response was a very large military presence and the meeting dispersed
There were diverse radical leaders who enthused other people peacefully. Chartism could no longer claim to be a mass movement able to
threaten government into further parliamentary reform.
Why did support for Chartism vary?
Leadership
Chartism was a loose alliance; the leaders were not united on how to
achieve their goals. The Charter may have reflected the aims of the self The leadership has come under hard judgements, Keith Randall said ‘the
educated radical craftsmen of London rather than the mass of industrial chartists set themselves a most difficult task; they failed chiefly because
workers of the new factories who saw the movement more as a protest they were unequal to it’. The problem was only very few radical MPs
against hard times. The movement developed after 1836 and reached a favoured further reform of parliament. Support was diverse and the two
climax in 1839 when a giant petition was presented to parliament. Over a main groups the declining craftsmen and the hard pressed factory workers
thousand places saw Chartist activity culminating in the National had different interests and objectives. Attempts to form a united front with
Convention in 1839 first in London then in Birmingham. The rejection of middle class agitation did not succeed. They had the ACLL and its
the petition led to a wave of strikes and repression by the authorities. priorities were mainly different from the Chartists. An alliance with the
Irish didn’t happen because their conservative leader Daniel O’Connell
The next imitative was the National Charter Association in July 1840 sympathised with Whig social and economic policies and disliked
which rejected violence and instead focused on getting working class MPs Chartism. Support varied with fluctuations in economic conditions.
and local councillors elected. With 50,000 members it was significant Moreover after 1840 the movement divided into all sorts of causes which
development. But with increasing hardship, unemployment and high bread linked with but actually weakened Chartism’s focus on urban change. The
prices, direct action happened in 1842. A large petition was made and Temperance Chartists linked reform of parliament with restrictions on
rejected again and there was a wave of strikes with a general strike drinking and Education Chartists put the stress on more schooling.
affecting 23 counties because of it. The ‘plug pot’ disturbances saw
workers removing plugs from factory boilers to stop steam powered Was the leadership effective?
production. Mass arrests, repression and the absence of links between
Leaders – Thomas Attwood of the BPU, Feargus O’Conner came from a
Chartist leaders and this industrial unrest meant little was achieved. From
rural background, William Lovett founded the London Working Men’s
1843 Chartist activity was on the decline because of the sheer power of the
Association, JR Stephens a Methodist preacher, James Leach opposed
resources available to the authorities. Troop movement was facilitated by
economic change.
the new railway and an economic upturn was underway which reduced
unemployment and lowered prices.
Chartism was the movement which supported the six points of the People’s Long Term
Charter of 1838. The Charter demanded
The long term causes lay in the considerable strains caused by
Universal male suffrage for ever man over 21 rapid rise in population and economic change. In 1801 78% of
There should be no property qualifications on voting for or being people lived in rural areas but by 1851 50% of Britons lived in
an MP urban areas. The growth of industries especially coal, textiles,
Annual elections to parliament engineering and metals, had resulted in larger workforces. The
Equal electoral districts so constituencies are near equal size thus number of handloom weaves in 1810 was 200,000 while there
removing small boroughs with several MPs and give more seats to were 100,000 textile factory workers but by 1850 there were only
the underrepresented northern cities 10,000 handloom weavers but 331,000 textile factory workers.
MPs should be paid so that ordinary working class people could be Domestic workers suffered from competition from factories,
elected, the charter proposed a £500 salary falling prices as more efficient and cheaper production undercut
Voting by secret ballet stopping employers and landowners them and from fluctuations in trade as more goods were produced
intimidating poorer people into voting the way they wanted resulting in over production.
Factory workers experienced harsh conditions, long hours,
The Charter was drawn up by William Lovett who belonged to an dangerous workplaces and low wages caused by growing supply
organisation called the London Working Men’s Association. It was of labour.
presented to parliament in May 1839. Period of 1836-1843 was one largely of depression. Rises in bread
Supporters of Chartism prices caused hardship and political protest like Chartism gained
increasing support from the victims of economic change.
The meeting that launched the peoples charter in Glasgow 159,000 people Urban growth also contributed as people were away from the
came and the petition presented to parliament had 1.2 million signatures. traditional authority of landowners and Anglican parsons so were
The Chartist newspaper The Northern Star had 40,000 readers in 1839. In more willing to challenge authority.
1848 a petition bearing over 5 million signatures was presented to The growth of the popular press spread new ideas.
parliament. A wave of strikes following the rejection of a petition signed Rapid urban growth brought poor housing and sanitation
by 3.3 million people in 1842 affected 23 counties and led to mass arrests. problems. With little medical knowledge the death rates especially
The scale of protest and disturbance was unprecedented and extended over of children soared.
a long period. It coincided with a rise in trade union activity, continued
unrest in Ireland against the Act of Union and the protests of the ACLL. Short Term
The period of 1830-1850 was one of the most politically disturbed in
The excitement for parliamentary reform in 1830-1832 and
history.
disappointment with its results for the working man. The growth
, in the electorate was limited and so political unions remained In 1847 a further economic downturn aided what would prove to be a short
active and demanded more political change. term revival of Chartism. Although a revival was nationwide it is most
Most had been unproductive, 10 hour working day, trade unions remembered for the mass meeting on Kennington Common in London in
did little and the Tolpuddle martyrs were heavily punished, the 1848.The authorities were alarmed by the planned meeting and advised
working class was discontent Queen Victoria to leave the capital, but when it occurred the authorities’
By the late 1830s the grievances of the workers were increasing response was a very large military presence and the meeting dispersed
There were diverse radical leaders who enthused other people peacefully. Chartism could no longer claim to be a mass movement able to
threaten government into further parliamentary reform.
Why did support for Chartism vary?
Leadership
Chartism was a loose alliance; the leaders were not united on how to
achieve their goals. The Charter may have reflected the aims of the self The leadership has come under hard judgements, Keith Randall said ‘the
educated radical craftsmen of London rather than the mass of industrial chartists set themselves a most difficult task; they failed chiefly because
workers of the new factories who saw the movement more as a protest they were unequal to it’. The problem was only very few radical MPs
against hard times. The movement developed after 1836 and reached a favoured further reform of parliament. Support was diverse and the two
climax in 1839 when a giant petition was presented to parliament. Over a main groups the declining craftsmen and the hard pressed factory workers
thousand places saw Chartist activity culminating in the National had different interests and objectives. Attempts to form a united front with
Convention in 1839 first in London then in Birmingham. The rejection of middle class agitation did not succeed. They had the ACLL and its
the petition led to a wave of strikes and repression by the authorities. priorities were mainly different from the Chartists. An alliance with the
Irish didn’t happen because their conservative leader Daniel O’Connell
The next imitative was the National Charter Association in July 1840 sympathised with Whig social and economic policies and disliked
which rejected violence and instead focused on getting working class MPs Chartism. Support varied with fluctuations in economic conditions.
and local councillors elected. With 50,000 members it was significant Moreover after 1840 the movement divided into all sorts of causes which
development. But with increasing hardship, unemployment and high bread linked with but actually weakened Chartism’s focus on urban change. The
prices, direct action happened in 1842. A large petition was made and Temperance Chartists linked reform of parliament with restrictions on
rejected again and there was a wave of strikes with a general strike drinking and Education Chartists put the stress on more schooling.
affecting 23 counties because of it. The ‘plug pot’ disturbances saw
workers removing plugs from factory boilers to stop steam powered Was the leadership effective?
production. Mass arrests, repression and the absence of links between
Leaders – Thomas Attwood of the BPU, Feargus O’Conner came from a
Chartist leaders and this industrial unrest meant little was achieved. From
rural background, William Lovett founded the London Working Men’s
1843 Chartist activity was on the decline because of the sheer power of the
Association, JR Stephens a Methodist preacher, James Leach opposed
resources available to the authorities. Troop movement was facilitated by
economic change.
the new railway and an economic upturn was underway which reduced
unemployment and lowered prices.
