I'm redoing Chartism in history (well, re doing it for exam retakes), so I felt that this could be a good revision exercise if nothing else. After all, to alter the past requires a good knowledge of it.
So, here goes: how could the Chartists have possibly implemented their Six Points by 1850 (either by getting Parliament to agree, overthrowing the government, or some other means)? What would they have had to change (or what points of diversion are required, preferably after 1815)? Is it actually possible?
The Six Points of the Charter (to remind everyone):
1) Votes for men over 21.
2) A Secret Ballot.
3) No property qualification for MPs.
4) Paid MPs (so as working class MPs can have a source of income.)
5) Equal sized constituencies.
6) Annual elections for MPs.
I thought that I may as well get into this Alternate History business properly without a post relating to Operations Sea Lion or Barbarossa, or "What would happen if the Allies/USSR/Axis won battle X/built none of gun X." Mostly this is because I know little about World War 2; but also because so much else happened in history. World War 2 was the greatest single event, yes. But so many other ones preceded it.
So, here goes: how could the Chartists have possibly implemented their Six Points by 1850 (either by getting Parliament to agree, overthrowing the government, or some other means)? What would they have had to change (or what points of diversion are required, preferably after 1815)? Is it actually possible?
The Six Points of the Charter (to remind everyone):
1) Votes for men over 21.
2) A Secret Ballot.
3) No property qualification for MPs.
4) Paid MPs (so as working class MPs can have a source of income.)
5) Equal sized constituencies.
6) Annual elections for MPs.
I thought that I may as well get into this Alternate History business properly without a post relating to Operations Sea Lion or Barbarossa, or "What would happen if the Allies/USSR/Axis won battle X/built none of gun X." Mostly this is because I know little about World War 2; but also because so much else happened in history. World War 2 was the greatest single event, yes. But so many other ones preceded it.