What is the meaning of Chartism?

: the principles and practices of a body of 19th century English political reformers advocating better social and industrial conditions for the working classes.

What was Chartism movement?

Chartism was a working class movement, which emerged in 1836 and was most active between 1838 and 1848. The aim of the Chartists was to gain political rights and influence for the working classes. Chartism got its name from the People’s Charter, that listed the six main aims of the movement.

What blocked prosperity of Chartism?

The main problem was how to achieve a revolutionary goal by constitutional means. It failed to obtain parliamentary support for the Charter. The middle-classes either ignored, shunned or condemned Chartism.

How did the government respond to Chartism?

Relations between the government and Chartism were of mutual hostility. Chartists denounced Whigs and Tories as ‘tyrannical plundering’ governments. Politicians of both parties saw Chartists as enemies of property and public order. Chartists had no political muscle and little education, and thus were powerless.

What did the Luddites represent to the working class?

Modern observers often highlight the rebellion against technology or technological unemployment that the Luddite riots represent. Some modern historians emphasize the place of the Luddites in the working class struggle against the onslaught of industrialization, e.g., Hobsbawm (1965).

What was the historical context of the Luddite riots?

The Luddite riots were situated in a particular historical context, just as the technology boom of the last two decades of the 20 th century is situated in a particular historical context. Certain elements carried forward from previous times are echoed while new elements are also introduced.

How is neo Luddite related to the Luddites?

Cultural change necessarily engenders resistance to that change. The term “neo-Luddite” makes a modern connection to the original Luddite rebellions in England during the early 19thcentury. As such, neo-Luddite describes a modern philosophy that distrusts or fears the inevitable changes brought about by new technology.

What did the British government do to stop the Luddites?

The workers hoped their raids would deter employers from installing expensive machinery, but the British government instead moved to quash the uprisings by making machine-breaking punishable by death. The unrest finally reached its peak in April 1812, when a few Luddites were gunned down during an attack on a mill near Huddersfield.