Chartist Political Culture in Britain and Colonial Australia, c. 1835-1860

Abstract

The rationale of this thesis is to extend the study of Chartist political culture to various Australian colonial contexts during the post-1848 period. Such a necessarily limited focus, of course, does not exhaust the possibilities of following Chartism into Empire. In contrast to the thematic sweep of section one, the British foundation of the thesis, section two consists of a series of roughly chronological case-studies which examine the Chartist legacy, first in New South Wales and then Victoria. Again, I must stress that the concept of 'political culture' developed throughout section one and carried into section two is neither definitive nor exhaustive. On the contrary, the rationale guiding my approach has been to establish a suitable framework of reference from which to launch the Australian section of the argument. Whilst 1848 should not be seen as the end of Chartism it was undoubtedly a watershed for the movement. Revolutionary hopes raised by events in Europe soon dissipated; in England the last Chartist national petition was treated with contempt by the state; then the Land Plan visibly began to disintegrate. As summer passed into autumn the threat of insurrection faded in England and Ireland, and once again Chartists were arrested, prosecuted, imprisoned and transported. For the committed radical, emigration beckoned as never before.