GCSE · History · AQA · Spec 8145

Chartism

After 1832, many working men still could not vote. The Chartists set out to change that — and Parliament rejected every petition they sent.

History · Cause & effect

The pulse of Chartism, 1832–1848

Tap a year to see what led to it and what followed. Start at 1832 and work forward — and watch what keeps happening.

Causes ←

What led here

Economic depression and hunger, again
Dissatisfaction with the New Poor Law, which is linked to support for Chartism

Event

Second surge

1842

In Stockport, unemployment and near-starvation lead to rioting, and the new union workhouse is attacked. In the summer, the Plug Plots strikes spread through Lancashire, Yorkshire, the Midlands and parts of Scotland — workers pull the plugs from boilers to bring factory machinery to a halt.

→ Consequences

What followed

Support for Chartism is strong while the Plug Plots strikes are on — though the strikers' main issue is wage cuts
The second petition goes to Parliament — and is rejected

The People's Charter

Six demands, three targets

What would each point of the Charter change?

Still to sort

Who can vote (0)

The right to vote itself

Where the line is: About the people who choose the MPs — not about who can become one.

How elections work (0)

How and when the voting happens

Where the line is: Changes the rules of the vote, not who is allowed to take part.

The MPs themselves (0)

Rules about the people who are elected

Where the line is: About the people who are chosen — not the people choosing them.

6 of 6 still to sort.

The movement took its name from the People's Charter, which listed six main aims. Sort each one by what it would change.

Watch out: "No property qualification" is about who can become an MP, not who can vote. That is the easiest pair to mix up.

Who were the Chartists?

Picture a Chartist

Think about the people who backed the Charter in its most active years, 1838 to 1848.

Which description is closest to the picture in your head?
How sure are you?

Two famous Chartist actions

Newport, 4 November 1839vsKennington Common, 1848

Start with the first row — it is the biggest difference between the two.

Focus

What they set out to do

Newport, 4 November 1839

5,000 men marched into Newport, in Monmouthshire, and attempted to take control of the town.

Kennington Common, 1848

A peaceful mass rally, after which the Chartists planned to deliver their petition to Parliament.

The insight

The key difference: one tried to take control of a town; the other set out to deliver a petition to Parliament.

Who was there

Newport, 4 November 1839

Led by three well-known Chartists: John Frost, William Jones and Zephaniah Williams.

Kennington Common, 1848

15,000 Chartists were said to have turned up.

How the authorities responded

Newport, 4 November 1839

The marchers gathered outside the Westgate Hotel, where the local authorities were holding a number of potential troublemakers. Troops protecting the hotel opened fire, killing at least 22 people.

Kennington Common, 1848

The Illustrated London News reported one hundred and fifty thousand special constables parading the streets.

How it ended

Newport, 4 November 1839

The shooting brought the uprising to an abrupt end.

Kennington Common, 1848

The petition, claimed at six million signatures, was said to contain 1,975,496 names and many forgeries — including Queen Victoria and Mr Punch. It was ridiculed and rejected.

Two views of one movement

What were the Chartists really after?

What did the Chartists really want?

The Chartists' own case

  • Their aim was political rights and influence for the working classes.
  • They spread their demands through meetings and pamphlets.
  • They petitioned Parliament to make the six-point Charter law — in 1839, 1842 and 1848.
  • They said they disapproved of violent protest.

What their opponents feared

  • The Chartists were not just interested in changing the way Parliament was elected.
  • What they really wanted was a revolution.
  • Whatever they said about violence, they were stirring up a wave of riots around the country.

Common ground

  • Both views are about the same movement and the same Charter — they disagree about the real aim behind it.

Compare the positions, then weigh them yourself.

Comparing 2 positions: The Chartists' own case, What their opponents feared.

Watch out: Keep the two views apart. Saying they disapproved of violent protest was the Chartists' own claim; stirring up riots was what their opponents thought.

Your judgement

Was Chartism a failure?

The claim

Chartism was a failure.

Place each piece of evidence to load the balance. Mark the strong ones — they count double.

  1. All three petitions — in 1839, 1842 and 1848 — were rejected by Parliament.

    Evidence 1: does it support or challenge the claim?

  2. The 1848 demonstration was considered a failure, and Chartism declined; its conventions continued until the 1850s, but without mass support.

    Evidence 2: does it support or challenge the claim?

  3. At the time, the six-point Charter was too radical for a Parliament representing the middle and upper classes to make into law.

    Evidence 3: does it support or challenge the claim?

  4. Possibly the movement could have made more progress had its leadership been more united.

    Evidence 4: does it support or challenge the claim?

  5. Later in the century, many Chartist ideas were included in the Reform Acts of 1867 and 1884.

    Evidence 5: does it support or challenge the claim?

  6. Chartism gave the working classes a sense of class consciousness.

    Evidence 6: does it support or challenge the claim?

  7. Working people gained valuable political experience in campaigning, organising publicity and holding meetings.

    Evidence 7: does it support or challenge the claim?

WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED

A quick recap of today's lesson.

1839 · 1842 · 1848

Three hungry years. Three petitions to Parliament. Three rejections. So why does Chartism still matter?

What you need to know

  • Why it started: the Great Reform Act of 1832 gave the vote to the property-owning middle classes, and many working men were disappointed that they still could not vote.
  • What it wanted: political rights and influence for the working classes, set out as six demands in the People's Charter.
  • The pattern: support peaked in times of economic depression and hunger — 1839, 1842 and 1848 — and in each of those years a petition went to Parliament and was rejected.
  • The big judgement: Chartism ended without achieving its aims, but it still mattered — many of its ideas were later included in the Reform Acts of 1867 and 1884.

The big picture

Chartism grew out of disappointment: the 1832 Great Reform Act gave the vote to the property-owning middle classes, and many working men were left disappointed that they still could not vote. From 1836 the Chartists demanded political rights for the working classes through a six-point People's Charter. Their support surged in three hungry years — 1839, 1842 and 1848 — and each time a petition to Parliament was rejected. The movement faded after 1848 without winning its aims, yet many of its ideas were later included in the Reform Acts of 1867 and 1884.

Key points

1Chartism emerged in London in 1836, spread rapidly across the country and was most active between 1838 and 1848.
2The six points: a vote for all men over 21; a secret ballot; no property qualification to become an MP; payment for MPs; electoral districts of equal size; annual elections for Parliament.
31842: in Stockport, unemployment and near-starvation led to rioting and an attack on the new union workhouse — dissatisfaction with the New Poor Law is linked to support for Chartism. That summer the Plug Plots strikes were mainly about wage cuts.
41848: trade was still depressed and news of revolution in France made interest in reform peak again. The final petition was ridiculed, and its rejection marked the real decline of Chartism.
5Supporters were largely working class — many in domestic industry such as handloom weaving — with some middle-class supporters; support differed from region to region. Opponents feared the Chartists really wanted a revolution.
6At the time, the Charter was too radical for a Parliament representing the middle and upper classes, and the movement ended without achieving its aims — though the fear of civil unrest remained. In the long run, Chartism gave the working classes class consciousness and political experience.

Worked example

Problem

A student writes: "News of revolution in France made working people angry, and that is why the Chartists sent their first petition to Parliament." Is the student right? Check it, then fix it.

⚠ Watch out

Mixing up the three surges. Each petition year has its own story: 1839 is hard times, 1842 adds Stockport and the Plug Plots, and 1848 adds news of revolution in France. Putting the France news or the Plug Plots in the wrong year breaks the chain of cause and effect.

🧠

Memory hook

Three hungry knocks on Parliament's door — '39, '42, '48 — and it never opened. Later, in 1867 and 1884, many Chartist ideas got in anyway.

✓

Check yourself

Cover the page. Can you name the three petition years, give one hardship or grievance for each, and say one way Chartism still mattered after it faded?

Flashcards

(15)
What did the Great Reform Act of 1832 do — and how did many working men feel about it?
It gave the vote to the property-owning middle classes. Many working men were disappointed that they still could not vote.
When and where did Chartism emerge, and what was its aim?
In London in 1836. It spread rapidly, was most active from 1838 to 1848, and aimed to gain political rights and influence for the working classes.
What were the six points of the People's Charter?
A vote for all men over 21; a secret ballot; no property qualification to become an MP; payment for MPs; electoral districts of equal size; annual elections for Parliament.
In which years did support for Chartism peak — and what happened in each of them?
1839, 1842 and 1848 — times of economic depression and hunger. Each year a petition went to Parliament, and each was rejected.
What happened in Stockport in 1842?
Unemployment and near-starvation led to rioting, and the new union workhouse was attacked. Dissatisfaction with the New Poor Law is linked to support for Chartism.
What were the Plug Plots?
Strikes in Lancashire, Yorkshire, the Midlands and parts of Scotland in summer 1842. Workers pulled the plugs from boilers to stop factory machinery. Wage cuts were the main issue, but support for Chartism was also strong.
What did workers in Manchester want when they protested against wage cuts?
'A fair day's pay for a fair day's labour'.
What happened at Newport on 4 November 1839?
5,000 men led by John Frost, William Jones and Zephaniah Williams tried to take control of the town. Troops at the Westgate Hotel opened fire, killing at least 22 people, and the rising ended abruptly.
What was planned for Kennington Common in 1848?
A peaceful mass rally, followed by delivering the petition to Parliament. 15,000 Chartists were said to attend; the Illustrated London News reported 150,000 special constables.
What happened to the 1848 petition — and to Chartism afterwards?
Claimed at six million signatures, it was said to contain 1,975,496 names and forgeries such as Queen Victoria and Mr Punch. It was ridiculed and rejected, marking the real decline; conventions went on until the 1850s without mass support.
Who supported Chartism?
Largely working people — many in domestic industry as handloom weavers, stocking makers, shoemakers or carpenters — plus some middle-class supporters who hoped for education reform and teetotalism.
How did Chartism differ between Wales and Leeds?
In Wales it was often associated with Nonconformist chapels; in Leeds some Chartists worked to enter local government.
What did opponents of Chartism fear?
That the Chartists really wanted a revolution, not just a change in how Parliament was elected — and that, despite saying they disapproved of violence, they were stirring up riots.
Why did Parliament not make the Charter law at the time?
It was too radical for a Parliament representing the middle and upper classes. Possibly more united leadership could have made more progress.
Why was Chartism significant despite failing?
Many of its ideas were later included in the Reform Acts of 1867 and 1884, and it gave the working classes class consciousness and political experience in campaigning, publicity and meetings.

Tap any card to flip it, or use Study as deck to go through them one at a time. In the full lesson these run as a spaced-repetition deck — you rate each card Hard, Good or Easy and the tricky ones keep coming back until they stick.

Learning with Lightbulb is opening soon

You can use this lesson now. Join the waitlist and we'll let you know when the full Lightbulb experience is ready.

Keep me posted

More AQA GCSE History topics

See the full AQA History curriculum →

How this lesson was checked. This AQA GCSE History (specification 8145)lesson was published through Lightbulb Learning's human-designed editorial process — the educational standards, accuracy rules and publication checks it must pass were authored and approved by Philip Halpin. It passed subject-specific assessment, automated educational checks and technical publication verification before going live (publication checks completed 29 September 2026). Published pages are monitored, human spot-checking is ongoing across the lesson library, and anything found wrong is corrected or withdrawn. How our lessons are made and checked. Spotted a mistake? Email hello@lightbulblearning.co and we'll review it.