Parliament and the Chartists, 1839-1849

Abstract

The Chartists of mid-nineteenth century England comprised one of the groups of ordinary working people who had a history, and who shaped the society of which they were a part. They were, however, frequently misunderstood, ridiculed or ignored by both middle and upper classes, and in particular by the Members of Parliament whom they petitioned so frequently and with such ardour during the decade which this thesis will cover, that is 1839-1849. Research has indicated that the Parliaments of 1839-1849 were passing class-biased legislation. This thesis looks at the way parliamentarians, who were mainly upper and middle class, reacted to the demands of the lower class Chartists. We see a group of men determined to maintain the status quo, with no understanding of the needs of the working people of England, responding to a group which was looking for a change in the suffrage as the only means of bringing about social justice for the working classes.