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What was the time period like?:

Nineteenth-century Britain was a very unequal place. Even after the 1832 Reform Act only 18% of the adult male population – and no women – could vote. The richest people in society possessed almost all the political power; poor people had little say in how the country was run.

The Chartists were a group of people from the working and middle-classes who campaigned for universal male suffrage (the right to vote) and other reforms that they believed would create a fairer political system, such as payment for MPs and the ability to vote by secret ballot. Some Chartists also demanded women be given the vote, although others feared that supporting female suffrage would damage their own chances of success. Chartism was a hugely popular political movement, with millions of supporters across the country. They held mass meetings and protests, submitted petitions to parliament and published newspapers and pamphlets in order to increase support for their cause. Some Chartists, known as the ‘physical force’ Chartists, believed they would never achieve what they wanted only through peaceful means. There were a number of Chartists uprisings, including in Newport in Wales in 1839; 22 protestors were killed by soldiers policing the march.

In lots of respects the Chartist movement can be seen as a complete failure. By the time it fragmented in the 1850s the Chartists had not achieved any of their aims. However, now all but one of the Chartists demands – that the British government hold annual parliamentary elections – is part of British law. It is difficult to imagine that this would been achieved without the efforts of the Chartists. We have a lot to thank them for.