The Peel Web

I am happy that you are using this web site and hope that you found it useful. Unfortunately, the cost of making this material freely available is increasing, so if you have found the site useful and would like to contribute towards its continuation, I would greatly appreciate it. Click the button to go to Paypal and make a donation.

Divisions in Chartism: the traditional model

The subdivision of Chartism into "moral" and "physical" force is too simple a generalisation. Divisions between leaders at national level were repeated within each provincial centre. Not all were agreed on the objectives of Chartism, let alone the methodology. The main centres of provincial Chartism were the Yorkshire woollen and Lancashire cotton manufacturing areas - home to the Northern Chartist Association and the area of new working-class radicalism. These areas tended towards violence.

The woollen and cotton industries themselves were not only different but were in mutual competition. The workers in the mills were rivals and also shared a rivalry with the hand-workers.

This view is too simplistic. Regional studies show that the divisions were not so clear-cut as the model suggests.