After the Peterloo Massacre and the Reform Act of 1832, many working-class people still felt cheated. They decided to organize the first-ever mass working-class political movement: Chartism.

The 6 Demands: What did they want?

In 1838, they wrote the People’s Charter, which had six simple goals to make elections fair:

A vote for every man over 21.
Secret ballots (so no one could bully you into voting a certain way).
No property qualification (you shouldn’t have to own land to be an MP).
Payment for MPs (so poor people could afford to leave work and lead the country).
Equal-sized constituencies (so every MP represented the same number of people).
Annual Parliaments (elections every year to keep politicians honest).

Actions Taken: How did they fight?

The Chartists didn’t just sit around; they used "Moral Force" (peaceful) and "Physical Force" (aggressive) tactics:

Mass Petitions: They collected millions of signatures and delivered them to Parliament in huge processions.
Huge Rallies: Thousands gathered to hear speeches and show their strength.
Strikes and Riots: When Parliament said "No," some Chartists turned to strikes or even armed uprisings, like the Newport Rising.

The Result: Failure or Success?

Short-term "Failure": Parliament rejected every single petition. By 1848, the movement faded away without any of the six points being turned into law.
Long-term "Victory": They may have lost the battle, but they won the war! By 1918, 5 out of the 6 demands had become law. The only one we don't use today is "Annual Parliaments" (because voting every 12 months would be exhausting!).

Year 8 Power & Protest

How successful were the Chartists?