CHARTISM
CHARTISM:
1838-48(58): about making parliament adopt a people’s charter in six points, petitions in favour: 1838, 1842 and 1848. Signed by millions of people but rejected every time by MPs. Electorate = less than 1M voters at the time.
-The 6 points = universal suffrage, equal constituencies, wages for MPs (so workers could sit in parliament), a secret ballot, no need to own land to become an MP… The six claims were political, had to do with reform in voting to make parliament and suffrage more representative (male universal suffrage).
Moral force // physical force Chartists: needs nuance cf Stephens the most violent leader of the Chartist mvmt despite being a religious methodist. “Physical force chartists” not smth they identified as, but a label put on them by the more moderate branch.
New Port riot a year later: strongly criticised by Stephens, after that he denied any link with Chartist mvmt à an insurrection of miners taking place in south of Wales, intended to start a revolution. Other episode where Chartists on the brink of a revolution: 1848 when third petition was presented, big demonstration in London and a lot of the ppl who came did not know how far it would go but some hoped to march upon parliament if refusal to adopt petition. Sometimes called a “knife and fork mvmt”, which makes a link with exploited class.
Ppl who underplay role of class 1980s identify as historians defending the linguistic term of working class history: Patrick Joyce and Gareth Stedman Jones à they see Chartism as continuation of the radical mvmt, class identity as a secondary feature. End of Chartism as a mass mvmt 1850s, but it goes on for another 10 years as a more underground mvmt under new leaders à O’Connor dead, new generation takes over, esp Ernest Jones and Julian Harney à they want the chartist program + communism (a diff social organisation). First spread of Communist Manifesto in a Chartist publication. Program enriched: strictly pol at first (universal suffrage), then a program for social and eco change.
1830s and Chartism: a time of crisis (1840s known as the “hungry forties”), also fight against the new corn law 1834. All the eco difficulties workers are confronted with: how corn laws affected the price of bread à employers against it bc meant they needed to pay high wages, employers against it bc food too expensive, both fighting the same struggle (unusual, for completely diff reasons). Until repeal of the corn laws 1846 the price of bread remains very high. One of the reasons given for the decline of Chartism is precisely bc price of bread goes down, eco hardships not as bad, workers making ends meet. Great exhibition in London, 1851 crystal palace à often seen as symbol of mid-Victorian prosperity, a turning point, London showing all its technological achievements, symbol of all the triumphs at the beginning of a more stable era (mid-Victorian prosperity until 1870s) à social relations less tense bc eco is better, bc fork and knife questions are not so crucial. About class identity or just universal suffrage ? Marxist historians = it was strictly political, no ref to eco questions or class identity. A continuation of the mass platform mvmt, a lot of the claims using the language of “the ppl” (not just the working class).
It was to solve social problems they were confronted with, which could be achieved if workers could vote. Behind all of the 6 points you can understand why they would want to fight for that as workers; a lot of chartist were trade unionists (during or after), socialists (cf supported Robert Owen) à it was politically serious, both about pol and class, vote as a way to solve social problems (suffrage viewed as key element to reshape society).
Historiographical debate: mvmt in essence pol (just continuation of radicalism) or social and eco (ab class struggle to change not just pol institutions but the whole system)? 2 ways to look at this:
-the revisionists 1980s (linguistic term historians), Patrick Joyce, Gareth Stedmond Jones. Their contention = in Chartism class identity was not so imp, it was a new form of radicalism that included middle-class (but working class aspect overestimated).
-Other historians: Eric Hobsbawm and Saville analysed Chartism diff, said yes continuation of radicalism, BUT behind their program it was first mass mvmt of the new industrial working class à proletariat claiming power for itself. Marxists see it as a class struggle.
First petition = made by a group of London-based artisans gathering in May 1838, among whom Francis Hayes, William Lovett (an Owenite), Heatherington (editor of The Poor Man’s Guardian, a radical newspaper addressing working class). Small group, but soon becomes popular, in North quickly appropriated by workers in mines and textile industry. First meeting in Glasgow 31st May 1838, 20 000 ppl according to the newspapers. Newspaper essential in its circulation: The Northern Star, directed by Feargus O’Connor (gentry but a radical) à periodical founded in 1837, produced 50 000 copied sold every week, several regional editions, became the backbone of the mvmt. Soon mass mvmts appeared: very big, 200 000 ppl in Birmingham, 250 000 in Leeds, 300 000 in Manchester. In the first year of its existence, the mvmt began to structure itself: national assembly in 1839 with delegates all around the country, at that time petition = 1.2 M signatures. If parliament refused to adopt the charter, they planned to organise a general strike of all working ppl (called “sacred month” = month-long strike).
In 1839: rejection of the petition (barely examined). One of the leader, Julian Harney, tried to go on a tour around Britain to see if the general strike could be organised, but in vain: ppl too demoralised by that rejection.
November 1939: insurrection in Newport (south of Wales) in favour of the charter, the coal miners and other workers stormed the city-hall as first step in a national revolt, it failed (called ‘the last rising’): 20 ppl killed, 500 arrested, 3 deported. BUT did not stop the mvmt.
2nd petition: 1842, gathered 3M signatures. Mvmt becomes more structured, cf up to 100 female organisations in favour of the charter. In 1840: national assembly of the National Charter Association à 400 branches across country and 30 000 members, but not homogeneous:
-physical force chartists: armed rising legitimate if petition rejected, cf Thomas Spence = in his form of communism he believed that if authorities don’t listen to your claims you are allowed to org a revolution //
-moral force chartists: making workers more respectable, urging them to drink less and go to church more, cf William Lovett: imprisoned after rejection of 1st petition, then abandoned the mass mvmt and disapproved of conflict. Feargus O’Connor in-between, “peacefully is possible, by force if necessary”.
Petition rejected again & by a greater number of MPs (first time = only half of MPs present), BUT rejecting a petition signed by so many ppl = a big risk, esp bc coincided with cut of wages in textile industry (wages cut by 25%).
Generalized strike mvmt called the Plug Riots summer 1842, name ‘plug’ bc their form of action = unplug steam engines in factories (cutting the water supply). This mvmt mixed eco and pol elements, against rejection of the charter and also against the cut in wages. More than 1000 chartists arrested all around the country.
1843-47: chartists demoralized, hesitate between diff directions. Force of the chartist mvmt = had absorbed diff forms of protests (Owenites, radicals, trade unionists, all merging into this common struggle) BUT at this time it splits again into these small mvmts, esp trade unionism à number of trade unionist doubles from 50 000 to 100 000. Other chartists turn to cooperation (Owenites ideals): org production and distribution co-ops, biggest network appearing = Rochdale (in Lancashire), created in 1843 & became a national network.
Others, initiated by O’Connor, launched a “Land Plan”: idea to accumulate funds in a common fund, and with the money the association would buy plots of land so each worker could become owner of a small plot of land à transforming every wage earner into a small land owner. Successful project: tens of thousands of workers contributed to the Land Plan. Seen as a plausible answer to eco difficulty (could grow their own crops, not starving anymore, dream of returning to pastoral England) è BUT it collapsed.
1846: corn laws repealed à the middle classes/bourgeoisie withdrew their support to chartist mvmt bc obtained what they wanted (price of bread ↓).
3rd petition: 1848, gathered 5M signatures à Brought to House of Commons 3rd April, MPs decided only 2M signatures were valid (still rejected). It coincided with other revolutions: February 1848 revolution in Paris, in following months the revolutionary upheavals spread all over Europe (esp Germany, Austria and Hungary, Italy…) à continent in turmoil, ruling class in Britian afraid of contamination. 10th April march organized, leaders = O’Connor and Ernest Jones. For many chartists it was the right time for revolution considering the political mood in Europe BUT they stopped the demonstration at the Thames, not crossing over to parliament and only a small number of delegates went to present petition (thought if respectful of institutions parliament would accept): FAIL. Following days: repression worse than ever, many chartists arrested on account of planning insurrection, including William Cuffay (the only black leader of the mvmt, son of a couple of slaves, a skilled worker and orator), on physical force side of Chartism à arrested and deported to Tasmania, but he stayed there and became a working-class organiser in Tasmania.
After repression: still meetings all around the country in summer 1848, then mvmt declined.
CONCL mvmt:
—> Considered a failure by historians, bc did not obtain their claims BUT left many traces in British politics. Pop mobilisation over a whole decade, forced gov to make a number of concessions: repeal of corn laws in 1846 + in 1847 a second factory act (reducing working hour to 10h a day to all children under 18 and all women in textile industry, then in 1850 extended to all industries).
è Positive legacy of Chartism: ppl started thinking of themselves as a class (//before = the poors). 1840s used the singular “the working class” à uniting ppl with same interests. Also a lot of chartists after end mvmt became involved in other mvmt, cf a lot of them developed trade unions. Not just a failure bc it survived until 1858: no longer a mass mvmt but publications remain, O’Connor out of the picture but new leader Ernest Jones for another ten years. A mvmt small but with other program “the charter and something more” à they added 7 more points, about a socialist program (common ownership of land and means of production). Inefficient but ideas developed in that final decade had a legacy, in particular the internationalism elaborated by Ernest Jones informed anti-imperialists in the following decades.