Chartism can be described as a UK movement during 1837 v/s 1848, in which a social and parliamentary reform occurred. The principles of this reform were set out in the people's charter.
Chartism was formed after the Reform bill came into action in 1832. It was believed that if the Old Corruption or the political power structure could be provoked, then many traditional institutions could be abolished or modified to an extent, thus bringing about the most popular movements of all time: Chartism. .
Chartism was to became the first independent political party to represent the interest of the labouring and the under privileged sections of the nation.
In 1834, the poor law was passed. This had many controversial issues in which many chartists did not agree with. In June 1836 William Lovett, Henry Hetherington, John Cleave and James Watson formed the London Working Men's Association (LMWA). Although it only ever had a few hundred members, the LMWA became a very influential organisation. At one meeting in 1838 the leaders of the LMWA drew up a Charter of political demands.
The chartists pushed many views towards the working class, and many of the pamphlets produced asked the same question How could a rotten House of Commons' representing the interests of manufacturers, capitalists, landholders and speculators be expected to do anything but uphold an economic system in which the poor were ground down and oppressed? So the chartist began to explore methods in which they would be heard by and could help express the working class to the government. It eventually succeeded in a method of political power, as Chartism was to become one of the most controversial reforms in the 18th century. (Harrison, 1979:182).
