Chartism Is not Revolutionary

Chartism was the name of a variety of protest movements in England during the 1830s and 1840s, which aimed to bring about change in social and economic conditions through political reform. Its name comes from the People's Charter, a six-point petition presented to the House of Commons with the hope of having it made law. As described in Document 1, the six points included annual parliaments, universal manhood suffrage, and abolition of the property qualification for members of the House of Commons, the secret ballot, equal electoral districts, and salaries for members of Parliament. Yet, historians question whether the Chartist Movement had any revolutionary ideals because of their eagerness to gain full political rights for solely the working-class. Since Chartism was considered for the working men rather than the whole society, it made little changes in political and social issues. …