To what extent can it be argued that Chartism was mainly an economic and social movement?
“The nineteenth-century Whig interpretation of English history as a steady progression of moderate and peaceful reforms” (reforming the constitution page x) can be argued greatly as the nineteenth century held host to many events that were certainly not peaceful and were not moderate. Some regarded as violent and extreme, some highlighted the detriment of people’s lives and some events and policies added to the well known nineteenth century poverty and detriment for the working class. However these have pioneered in some way our modern England, its attitude, laws and values. In the Nineteenth Century, working class people were overworked, underpaid, disregarded for human rights and disgruntled. The Chartist Movement was one of the events which shaped the working class as people who could fight for their rights and take a stand. “The chartist’s greatest achievement was Chartism, a movement shot through not with despair but with hope” (Royle, E (1998) Chartism, consman)
Chartism shared the same demands and was strong in the same areas as radicalism in the 18th century. Interestingly its leaders were middle class with occupations as MPs, Landowners and O’Brien attended Trinity College in Dublin. Chartism was at its strongest in times of economic crisis. it came after the Reform act 1832, which gave the vote to some of the male middle class, but not the working class. The working class felt betrayed and there were many speeches made by ‘radicals’ demonstrating their feelings of betrayal and anger. In 1837, six men set up the ‘people’s charter’ which collectively showed a new life and much better conditions for the English working class. It united the working class and gave them hope for a better quality of life. The purpose of the chartist movement is argued by historians, was it a social, economic or political cause?
Firstly we have to address the core of Chartism, the people’s charter. This was a document created for the London Working men’s association. This document had six demands which were, institution o a secret ballot, annual general elections, members of parliament not be required to own property, a salary for MPs, constituencies of equal size and universal male suffrage. All of these are demands for the working class to be involved in the political spectrum and were demanded previously by radical groups.
