Chartism

CHARTISM. - An English political movement, predominantly working-class, of the first half of the 19th century. The force sustaining it was a general discontent provoked by the enormous misery suffered by the workers, but its program was political and comprised six points: universal suffrage for all adult males, secret ballot, annual elections, eligibility without property qualification, payment for members of parliament, electoral constituencies of uniform size. Naturally these demands were regarded merely as means, since, by seizing political power, the workers would have established a better social organization. But the various groups of Chartists did not agree on the use to be made of this political power once it had been obtained, and unity on a program of purely political reforms served only to mask the divergences of aims among the leaders.

The Charter, with its famous six points, was drafted by a small group of London artisans, under the guidance of William Lovett; it was published in 1838 and received with enthusiasm by the workers. In 1839 a petition in favor of the Charter was presented in Parliament, but it was rejected by a large majority, which produced a split among the agitators. The partisans of "moral force," such as Lovett, wished to continue the struggle by peaceful means, while those of "physical force" preferred recourse to violence, whether by proclaiming a "sacred month" or "national holiday" (general strike), or by organizing an armed revolt. The threats of the latter, with O'Connor at their head, translated into sporadic and isolated acts of violence: a small Chartist uprising occurred at Newport and three years later an epidemic of strikes broke out in the north and the interior of England. These events did nothing but provide the authorities with a pretext for imprisoning the principal Chartists. The last great demonstration took place in 1848. A petition was prepared to be presented to Parliament and a grand procession was organized in London. The government, somewhat exaggerating the danger, filled the capital with troops, and, at the moment of the assembly, forbade the demonstrators to march on Westminster; the latter, after attempting to cross the bridges over the Thames, dispersed quietly. O'Connor then carried the petition in three carriages to the House of Commons, where it was received with clamorous laughter.

Chartism never recovered from the effects of these failures and gradually died out. This failure was almost inevitable for several reasons: for lack of leadership, for lack of common understanding, and above all because it was premature: the workers of a century ago had neither the education nor the political experience necessary to conduct successfully a campaign without the support of the middle classes, and these could not support a movement that attacked private property.

Celestino Melzi