Out of the depressed economic state and terrible living conditions of the manufacturing towns of the north of England, a radical movement developed that demanded reforms to extend political rights to working-class men. In the 'People's Charter' they drew up, which gave them their name of Chartists, they called for more frequent General Elections and the introduction of a secret ballot. They also put their support behind the anti-Corn Law movement, which called for the corn laws, which kept bread prices artificially high to benefit British agriculture, to be lifted.
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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Radicals attempt to introduce a secret ballot, more frequent elections and free trade in corn". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 August 2013 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=4778, accessed 23 November 2024.]
