The People's Charter

In this episode of On the Record, we explore Chartism, Britain's first mass political movement, driven by the working classes.  It emerged in response to the failure of the 1832 Reform Act to extend the right to vote beyond those who owned property. The Chartists published newspapers, organised mass rallies, and, in some cases, took up arms, becoming a driving force for reform.   To guide us through this movement, we're joined by Joe Cozens, a historian at The National Archives whose work explores working-class politics.