An overview of the history of chartism, the nature of the movement and its place in history.
The paper examines how Ccartism was perhaps the most significant radical movement of the nineteenth century and how it was created in the aftermath of the great reform act and flourished at a time of political uncertainty across Europe. It looks at how it created a fear of popular insurrection in the governing classes which is unparalleled in modern British history and how it has begat a wealth of historiography, in which the debates and controversies of its nature and origins still remain hotly disputed. In particular, it explores whether chartism could be considered backward-looking in its demands yet, conversley, innovative in its methods. It includes a history of British radicalism and the culture of chartism and a relevant analysis of Victorian society and politics.
“Perhaps the most significant aspect of the working class intellectualism of the movement was the press, which became a cornerstone of the movement. The Chartist leaders firmly believed in the importance of newspapers in the organisations desire to create an educated working class political society. The Northern Star was formed in November 1837, originally to “stoke the fires of the anti-poor law campaign”, but fast became the most influential organ of the Chartists. The extent to which Chartism had become a union of the literate working classes was demonstrated by the fact the “oracle of the movement” the Northern Star sold 60,000 copies a week, and before the Poor Man’s Guardian had sold 16,000 which were estimated to be read by an average of ten people each.”