The Work of Chartist

605 Words2 Pages

The Work of Chartist

Chartism failed, but the charter didn't. I say this because by the end

of a 20 year reign as the foremost supported campaign nationwide,

Chartism didn't achieve a single one of its demands. Over drastic

requests for the time, an unwillingness to consolidate together and a

reluctance to accept middle class support, destroyed the chances of

what was mostly a very reasonable charter from being accepted in its

lifetime. The fact that over the next century, under much less

pressure the government reformed to meet 5 out of the 6 requests of

the charter shows that the violent and obtuse methods of the Chartist

put the movement back up to 70 years.

Indeed the methods of the chartist often repulsed their fellow members

to join other causes as C. Thorne wrote "Many Chartist turned after

1848 to other endeavours...trade unions attracted some, others

agitated for reforms on education or even in the drinking habits of

the nation". The fact that people where willing to pursue such trivial

matters as drinking (and education) show a despondent feeling towards

Chartism caused by the lack of consolidation, resulting in poorly

manned demonstrations and fiascos such as the Newport rising.

Chartist leaders became divided over methods of getting their views

heard. Most famously Lovvet and O'Connor argued whether or not to use

physical violence in the pursuit of the Charter. If they had become

one true voice on the charter, uniting their followers and staying

away form forms of violence. Chartism would have been seen as more of

a necessity to parliament as such a huge group of people demanded it.

This coupled with middle class support would have led to much better

chances of the charter being realised in the chartist lifetime.

As pre mentioned 5 points of the charter where accepted over time, and

responsibility of this must be given to among others the middle

classes.

As time moved on further from the bad memory of the violence and

revolutionary'esq behaviour of some chartist group's, MP's became more

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