Chartism

Chartism was the first independent working-class political movement in the world, drawing its strength from diverse provincial and metropolitan movements in Britain and Ireland. The People's Charter of 1838, a demand for political rights backed by a National Petition and condensed in the famous Six Points, fell at first on deaf ears but most of the points were eventually granted, albeit only after the rejection of a third Chartist petition in 1848. In this book Asa Briggs assesses the attraction of the movement to Chartists, their political experiences, and the opportunities and problems identified by Feargus O'Connor and other Chartist leaders. He also reflects on Chartism's place in history, relating it not only to what came afterwards but to what went before.