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CONTENTS
xix
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The Trafalgar Square meeting—April 3, The Convention in London—Preparations for the presentation of the National Petition—O'Connor's Constitution-making—Counter-preparations of the Government—April 10. The meeting_on Kennington Common—Its peaceful and unenthusiastic character—Threatened disturbances in Manchester—The analysis of the Petition by a Commons Committee—Collapse of the Land Scheme after a Commons Committee's Report—Trials and imprisonments—Failure of the movement. | |
| (4) The Last Stages of Chartism (1849-1858) | 294-300 |
| Slow stages of the final collapse of Chartism—Illness and death of O'Connor—Ernest Jones as leader—His qualities and their defects—His journalistic efforts—His proposals for the reform of the organisation—His failures and retirement—Other abortive schemes for the reorganisation of Chartism—Lovett's People's League—O'Brien's National Reform League—Clark's National Charter League—Extinction of the Movement—Later history of the Chartist leaders—Ernest Jones's life in Manchester—The Chartist patriarchs. | |
| (5) The Place of Chartism in History. | 300-312 |
| How far was Chartism a failure?—The gradual realisation of its political programme, but not through the Chartists—Had Chartism a social and economic programme?—Negative character of the politics of the period—The concentration of effort on the removal of disabilities—Divergencies in the Chartist ranks as to the social ideal—The schools of Chartism—The agrarian and the industrial schools—Inability of the Chartists to unite except in negations—Chartism as an effort towards democracy and social equality—Its contrast with Young Englandism—Chartism and the Churches—Difficult position of the Chartist leaders—Their necessary want of experience—Their indirect influence in the next generation—Their protest against Cobdenism and Utilitarianism bore fruit in the next generation—Value of its pioneer work—Its preparation of the workers to take a real share in political and social movements—Its influence on Continential socialism—The beginnings of popular democracy. | |
Bibliography |
313-317 |
Index |
319-327 |
