What is Chartism? Definition, causes, significance, results of Chartism

Chartism originated in England and survived its heyday in the 30s and 40s of the XIX century. It was a social and political movement .

Causes of Chartism

The term "Chartism" arose after when in 1839 the People's Charter was submitted to the Parliament of England. Modern historians also agree that this movement was a prerequisite for the emergence of the Social-Democratic idea. Its main core was the numerous proletarian class that arose in England after the Industrial Revolution.

The causes of Chartism should be sought in the then difficult situation. In the 1920s and 1930s, a wave of economic crises swept the UK. The enterprises went bankrupt and closed, and the workers were left without work and no means of subsistence. So what is Chartism? This was the reaction of the proletariat to the economic conditions that had arisen, when it was almost impossible to get a job. Particularly difficult was the situation in industrialized areas, for example, in Lancashire (a county in north-west England). The workers organized spontaneous riots, which ended in riots, pogroms and looting in food stores.

Hunger and despair should have resulted in a general movement of the disaffected and, in the end, it happened. Before the workers was a positive example. In 1832 the bourgeoisie achieved the reform of the parliament, which took into account its interests. The same was achieved by the laborers of factories and plants that remained without work.

People's Charter

The main document of Chartists - the People's Charter contained several paragraphs. These were the requirements of universal suffrage for men who reached the age of 21, the abolition of property qualifications for those wishing to become deputies, as well as secret ballots. In addition, the workers wanted to reduce parliamentary powers to a term of one year and the appearance of equal constituencies. Some of these points of the program also found support among the bourgeoisie. For example, such was the requirement of equal and secret suffrage. Knowing all these requirements, it is much easier to understand what Chartism is.

The impoverishment of the working class

The main causes of Chartism are the conflicts between the parliament and the poor. In 1934 the deputies tightened the legislation, which concerned the functioning of workhouses. These institutions were part of a charitable or penitentiary system. They were created in order to stimulate beggars and criminals to work for the benefit of society. Workers' homes also included people who could not get settled because of the massive unemployment that arose after the industrial crisis.

The deterioration in the working conditions of all these people led to protests against the parliament and its decisions. Another reason for the emergence of Chartism is the new Law on the Poor, adopted in 1834. The main form of protest workers were mass rallies, which, as a rule, ended with the filing of petitions to deputies. Hundreds of thousands of dissatisfied people took part in such actions.

The struggle of the proletarians for their rights

At first, the rallies were spontaneous. Over time, among the proletarians, activists emerged who began to create centralized organizations. The first such structure was the London Association of Workers, which appeared in 1836.

What is Chartism and how did it differ from past protests of disaffected poor people? It is precisely because opponents of the policy of the parliament were able to organize and create their own society that effectively defended their interests. After London, such structures appeared in other cities, becoming a common phenomenon in the whole of England.

It was the capital association that formulated the points that formed the basis of the famous People's Charter. Over time, workers have won support in numerous newspapers and other media, which also began to promote the demands of the Chartists. Particularly popular was the universal suffrage, the idea of which was reflected in a number of well-known journals of a different political orientation. Although, undoubtedly, mainly the workers supported the left.

Radicals and Moderate

To better describe what Chartism is, it is necessary to mention the fact that this movement has never been monolithic. It consisted of two wings. Supporters of the union with the bourgeoisie wanted to fight for their rights through peaceful protest: rallies, petitions and processions. They were opposed by radicals who believed that the goals of the movement can only be achieved through cardinal measures. This way meant the use of violence against the authorities. Radicals, as a rule, were leftists.

The right wing also paid special attention to the issue of grain laws. They were adopted by parliament several decades before to protect English farmers from foreign competitors. This was done by introducing duties on the grain imported into the country. These measures also increased the price of bread, which the workers did not like.

The Chartists' Convention

Chartist movement led to the fact that in the spring of 1838 in Glasgow a meeting of grandiose scale was held. On it, according to various estimates, there were about 200 thousand people. These were the graphic results of Chartism. Now every indigent worker in the country was involved in the protest movement.

In February 1839, London hosted the first general convention of Chartist supporters. It was conceived as an alternative to a legitimate parliament and was to become a mouthpiece for popular discontent. It was on him that the Charter was agreed upon. After that, mass agitation began all over the country. The workers' voices were collected under the petition.

Finally, in the summer of 1839, the document was submitted to the House of Commons. By this time more than one million signatures were under him. However, the parliament was deaf to the Chartists' demands. The petition was rejected by the majority of deputies.

Armed resistance

The parliamentarians did not want to admit that Chartism is a movement for the rights of a huge number of people in the country. Immediately after their refusal to recognize the petition in England, armed clashes of workers and police began. Firefights and street fighting have become normal phenomena.

Many leaders of the Chartist movement were behind bars. This led to the fact that in 1839 10 thousand people attacked the prison, which caused numerous victims. The state increasingly increased its pressure on the radical part of the movement. Eventually, the disturbances were suppressed.

However, the causes of Chartism have not disappeared anywhere. Still the position of many workers left much to be desired. Therefore, the right wing of the Chartists refused violence and again tried to draw the attention of Parliament through several petitions. New charters were submitted in 1842 and 1848.

The last Chartists charter

The last attempt coincided with several important events. First, in 1847, a new industrial crisis began in Britain, which threw out thousands more workers. Secondly, at the same time throughout Europe revolutions began. The first of them was in Paris, where the disgruntled bourgeoisie overthrew Louis-Phillip I, who infringed upon her rights.

This example became contagious, although the forces of the British Chartists were noticeably less than those of the French capitalists. Many leaders of the protest movement were scattered in the past. Therefore, it ended with another charter, which again collected millions of signatures. In 1848 the parliament again rejected the petition, although it made some occasional concessions, such as abolishing grain duties and regulating the working day in factories.

A few years later, the British economy once again went up the hill. Dissatisfied lost the initiative and soon the Chartists' movement came to naught. Of course, the workers' problems have not disappeared. The proletarians continued to fight for their rights, but in other forms that were not connected with Chartism.

Motion Value

What is the result of the Chartists' struggle for their rights for a decade? In 1842, the parliament introduced income tax, and later abolished duties on foreign grain, which lowered the price of bread. The main success of the protest can be considered factory law. It was adopted in 1847 and introduced a 10-hour working day for children and women, which was small, but a concession for the proletarians.

Many researchers have tried to formulate what Chartism is. The definition of this movement often describes it as a harbinger of trade unions, which began to appear in large numbers in the second half of the XIX century.

The significance of Chartism also lies in the fact that it has become a useful experience for the proletarians in all of England. Since then, workers have been firmly aware of their rights and have learned to organize themselves to protect their interests.

Chartism and the USSR

Particularly popular Chartism acquired in the Soviet Union, where the ideology of the primacy of the proletarian class reigned. Numerous textbooks of domestic teachers and economists explained what Chartism is. The definition of this phenomenon in Soviet science corresponded to the Marxist course. Chartism was seen as a kind of prologue to the awakening of the proletarian class.

It was England that became the first country where workers began to fight for their rights in modern ways. An example is the numerous strikes and strikes. The proletarians stopped the production, and sometimes it came to the point of sabotage, when the industrial equipment was deliberately destroyed.