National Charter Association

national political organization of the Chartists in Britain. Founded on July 20, 1840, in Manchester, it was the first mass proletarian party.

In 1842 the National Charter Association had more than 50,000 members and some 400 local branches. It initiated many political campaigns and convened a series of Chartist conventions, although its activities reflected an underestimation of the importance of unity and discipline. The association began to-break up in 1848, largely because of defeats suffered by the movement and splits in its ranks. It was revived by E. Jones and other revolutionary Chartists in 1851–52. Even though it was no longer a mass organization, it carried on in the struggle for the People’s Charter and for the socialist principles proclaimed at the Chartist Convention of 1851. The association became inactive in 1858.