Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Engineers Without Borders: Water Supply Work in Thailand

Engineers Without B coiffures Water Supply Work in ThailandJeremy FrisoneBackgroundEngineers Without Borders USA (EWB-USA) is a nonprofit humanitarian organization complete to support partnership-driven knowledge schedules worldwide through partnerships that design and imple custodyt sustain adapted plan projects. EWB-USA was effected in April 2000 when a representative of the Belize Ministry of Agriculture invited Dr. Bernard Amakei, Professor of Civil applied science at the University of Colorado Boulder, to visit a federation of interests in San Pablo, Belize, to assess the familiaritys water supply supply. When Dr. Amadei visited the community, he learned that they lacked promiscuous water and sanitation infrastructure. Though the community had the resources to fix the problem, they lacked the engineering expertise to complete the work and Amadei decided to send his engineering students there to create a mutually beneficial partnership inwardly the community (Enginee rs Without Borders USA, 2015). directly, there are all over 12,000 members of EWB-USA, and the members are mainly composed of professional and student engineers. They work with local communities and NGOs in 47 countries and 5 continents most the world on water supply, sanitation, civil works, structures, energy, agriculture, and information agree ment projects that comprehensively address the take of a attached community (Engineers Without Borders USA, 2015).Engineers Without Borders USA follows ten principles of expatiatement when completing international projects. These principles require that the projects be engineering-related, safety and quality-oriented, and performed within the scope of the engineers expertise. Also, the principles place a lofty focus on the importance of the community in which the project takes place. Since all EWB-USA projects are community-based, each project must be evaluated for appropriateness in the region and must develop a partnership with th e impact community that lasts at least five years. EWB withal works closely with in-country partners (usually other in-country NGOs) to acquire the cultural experience that is required for the completion of the project. Finally, the EWB maintains that education of the partnering community and education of the active members is key to the success of the project infrastructure (Principles of Development, 2013). These principles of development show that EWB-USA maintains a high level of cultural awareness and works to develop projects which are specific to the needs, resources, and constraints of the region in which the projects are occurring.MappingEngineers Without Borders USA has a highly specific method of mapping out regions to plan projects that places a substantial amount of focus on collaborating with the regions community to meliorate quality of life. EWB begins the un certified process of mapping out a region when they get activitys from villages for help on solving eng ineering problems. Once an diligence goes into the review process, the community receives a decision in quartette to sixer weeks. If the application is approved, the program will be posted on the EWB website, where it becomes available for acceptance by one of the student or professional chapters. According to the EWB website, after a program is officially adopted, the community and chapter will coordinate the first assessment trip, which can occur anywhere between three months to one year after the battle of adoption. The purpose of the first assessment trip is for the chapter to acquaint themselves with the community and to gather sufficient information to assess the economic, social, env bidmental and technical viability and sustainability of the project. The assessment trip also allows the chapter to collect important data for both rising project designs and the monitoring and evaluation shape. The highly participatory assessment trip typically lasts one to four weeks and allows the chapter and community to discuss whether or not the project should move forward (Engineers Without Borders USA, 2015).Once the decision is made that the project should move forward, EWB enters a pre-specified partnership symmetry with the community and a local partner organization such as a local NGO, municipality, or city government. Each of these entities has its own set of responsibilities that allows for the engineering experts to involve the community and organization leaders during each step of the project. For example, the community members and community based organizations are responsible for contributing to the project design, handling permits, permissions, and feedback, and help to select and implement the final design (Project Partners Roles and Responsibilities, 2012). This involvement of the community members ensures that the project is finish in a way that suits the regions specific needs and surmount improves the current internet site.When the partner ship is established with the impacted community, EWB-USA follows its specified mannequin that they refer to as Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning or PMEL. According to the official terms of reference, the PMEL framework helps EWB -USA to better understand and account for the extent to which our efforts are going in the right direction, whether progress and success can be claimed, whether we are making the changes we hoped to make, and how future efforts might be improved (Martindale, 2014). The first chassis of the PMEL framework, Planning, is essentially EWB-USAs method of mapping out the region of interest. It includes conducting a situation analysis in the community, identifying program and project goals and strategies, collaborating with partner organizations and developing a plan for monitoring and evaluation (Martindale, 2014). It is clear that in this phase EWB places a strong emphasis on works closely with the regions community through situation analysis and co operation with partner organizations. EWB relies on collaboration with the community members and partner organizations in all step of the Planning phase, including the project design, data collection, and preparing the site for work (Project Partners Roles and Responsibilities, 2012). By including the community members and local stakeholders in e actually step of the planning and implementation process, EWB-USA creates an surpassing level of communication that allows the project to adequately suit the needs of the specific region.The last three phases of the PMEL process are subprogramd in the actual application of the engineering project. In the Monitoring phase, EWB places focus on making sure that the project is going according to plan and noticing if adjustments need to be made. The Monitoring phase also works as a communication system designed to improve management and policy decisions for different stakeholders (Martindale, 2014). This emphasis on meliorate decisions for t he stakeholders, or members of the impacted community, shows EWBs commitment to involving the community members in every step of the project. Similarly, the Evaluation phase measures progress the program or project has made, not totally in completing activities but also in achieving its objectives and overall goal within the community (Martindale, 2014). Finally, the Learning or Impact Reviews and Assessment phase is designed to determine if the completed program work did or did not have any direct influence on the changes experienced by the community members by analyzing the significant and lasting change that has occurred in the lives of the target group (Martindale, 2014). Like the first three phases, the Learning phase also clearly places its focus on improving the lives of community members through collaboration.RegionThe focus of this paper lies in the region of Thailand and will look specifically at a case report that shows how Engineers Without Borders USA implemented its mapping and action strategies to complete an huge water supply project in the village of Nong Bua. Thailand is a country in atomic number 34 Asia that was first established in the mid-fourteenth century and is the only(prenominal) selenium Asian country to never have been colonized by a European power. A constitutional monarchy has been in place in Thailand since 1932, and in 1954 Thailand became a U.S. treaty ally after sending troops to Korea and fighting alongside the U.S.in the war against Vietnam. Since then, Thailands policy-making history has suffered through turmoil, political uprisings, and coups. In May of 2014, the Royal Thai Army staged a coup against the government and placed the qualifyinger of the Royal Thai Army in charge as the prime minister. The government has since created temporary drafts of constitutional reforms that will be voted on in 2016 elections (East and Southeast Asia Thailand, 2014).Currently Thailand is divided into 76 provinces and one munici pality. Each province varies slightly in religion, average income, industry, and cultural norms depending on the location within the country, but the majority of the population speaks Thai and practices the Buddhist religion (East and Southeast Asia Thailand, 2014). The geography of the country plays a strong role in shaping the economy and the culture of Thailand. The mode is tropical, warm, and rainy, and the most prevalent natural resources are tin, rubber, natural gas, and tungsten. The recent increase in industrial practices and combined with the naturally tropical climate has motiond an increase in both air and water pollution (East and Southeast Asia Thailand, 2014). In fact, water pollution is one of the most serious concerns facing Thailand today. in that location is a high level of pollution due to substances that include habitation chemicals, such as surfactants, pharmaceuticals and insect repellents, agricultural chemicals, such as pesticides as well as industrial chemicals, inorganics and heavy metals. Since these substances have a high level of tenacity, these pollutants can cause contamination of surface water and groundwater which are the main water resources for drinking water production in Thailand (Kruawal, et. al, 2004). This is a major issue for the health and safety of the residents of Thailand. This is particularly because a considerable part of the Thai population lacks an access to health insurance, with the piteous disproportionately unprotected (Suraratdecha, et. al, 2004). Being that the water supply contamination is a major concern for the provinces of Thailand, Engineers Without Borders USA has been asked multiple multiplication to assist in the development of clean water harvesting methods.Case StudyThe EWB-USA case study focuses on a water supply project that Engineers Without Borders USA Rutgers University scholar Chapter completed in the Thai village of Nong Bua in 2009. The project formulated due to the lack of clea n drinking water in the village of Nong Bua. Although the pot in the community had made numerous attempts to drill wells to provide clean, inexpensive water, their efforts failed and the impoverished residents were forced to purchase bottled water. Luckily, Carole Ketnourath, D. Michael Shafer and Chatree Saokaew from the NGO heartily Heart hear about the situation and decided to act by contacting the Rutgers chapter of EWB-USA to help solve the problem. (Silagi, et. al, 2012). Since the Rutgers chapter of EWB was specifically asked to take on the project, the village was able to bypass the typical application process. Once the Rutgers chapter reviewed the information and decided to accept the project, they began the process of mapping out the region.EWB started the mapping process by conducting a situation analysis in the community and collecting general information on the specific region. They found that Nong Bua, a village in the sub-district of Phraro, is predominantly a farmi ng village with 143 households. They found that the income per household is 40,000 Baht (US$ 1,270) per year, with 68% of their income spent on purchasing sources of clean water. More importantly, it was discovered that the government constructed a water filtration and distribution system for an 88m well. However, the continuing poor water quality forced the community to purchase costly bottled water for drinking, or dig personal, shallow wells that do not provide clean water (Silagi, et. al, 2012). Once the EWB team up had sufficient general knowledge on the situation, they conducted actual testing on the chemical composition of the water wells in the village and found that the water had a high level of contamination including unsafe levels of iron and manganese. They used this information to establish the general goal of improving the accessibility and affordability of clean drinking water in the village. The team then continued the mapping or Planning phase of the project by col laborating with Warm Heart, a local partner organization. Warm Heart is a grassroots organization that helps villagers in mountainous rural northern Thailand. They organize community projects that improve access to education and basic health services, create stemmas and sustainable incomes for the poorest in the community, and restore the environment to sustain future generations (Warm Heart Worldwide, 2015). With the help of Warm Heart, the EWB Rutgers students were able to collaborate closely with the community members and local university students to assess the baseline health of the community and to brainstorm possible effective solutions to the water supply problem.After extensive planning that involved the engineers and the community members, the team began installation of a water system that had backwashing capabilities and a maintenance schedule that was designed to reduce the amount of iron and manganese to acceptable levels. pursuit the aforementioned PMEL framework, the team monitored and evaluated the project by continuously testing the system and relying on the community members for constructive feedback. Using this information, the EWB team implemented different changes to combat the remaining fecal coliform contamination, the entire system was shock- chlorinated, and a hypo-chlorinator was installed to deliver a constant chlorine injection to the water system in order to ensure that the water remained clean and safe for drinking (Silagi, et. al, 2012).After the project was completed, the EWB team began the Learning or Impact Reviews and Assessment phase of the project. They created a communication plan with the lead partner organization, Warm Heart, and agreed to stay in close contact to address problems in the future. They also made sure that the community was equipped with the proper coliform testing kits and operations and maintenance manuals so that they could ensure the future upkeep of the system. According to the official document, the EWB-USA Rutgers team is sure-footed about the future of Nong Bua after the final implementation trip during which educational programs were conducted and multiple meetings were held with the communities and local government to ensure that the project will be sustainable (Silagi, et. al, 2012). Since the EWB Rutgers team made such a strong effort to educate and work with the local community members, government, and partner organization, it is clear that they highly valued collaboration with the affected region of interest. Throughout the mapping and completion phases of the project, the EWB team continually placed emphasis on the needs and feedback of the community in order to stovepipe achieve their goal of improving the water quality and access in the region.ConclusionEngineers Without Borders USA is a nonprofit humanitarian organization that uses a highly specific planning process to map out and complete engineering projects in over 47 countries around the world. nonpareil regi on in which EWB-USA has completed quality of life improvement projects is Thailand. Due to recent growth of industry, one of the biggest issues that is facing Thailand today is the abundance of pollution specifically water pollution that causes disallow health effects for the general population. As a result of this issue, Engineers Without Borders USA has been asked to help mitigate the water supply issues in multiple villages across Thailand. One of the most prominent examples of EWBs work in Thailand was the water supply project that the Rutgers chapter of EWB completed in the village of Nong Bua in 2009. To complete the project, the EWB team began their process of mapping the region by conducting site visits, gathering village-specific information, and communicating with the members of the community and a local partner organization. They maintained this high level of communication with the community members throughout the project implementation by including the residents in the planning, designing, and upkeep of the new water supply system. As shown in the Nong Bua case study, it is clear that EWB-USA places a very high amount of focus on collaboration with the community during the mapping of a region and completion of a project within that region in order to ensure that the solution best fits the needs of the community.ReferencesEast and Southeast Asia Thailand. (2014). Retrieved from https//www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/th.htmlEngineers Without Borders USA. (2012). Project Partner Roles and Responsibilities Brochure. Author. Retrieved from https//s3.amazonaws.com/ewbgeneral/511 Project Partner Roles and Responsibilities.pdfEngineers Without Borders USA. (2013). Principles of Development Brochure. Author. Retrieved from https//s3.amazonaws.com/ewbgeneral/EWB-USA_Principles-of-Development.pdfEngineers WIthout Borders USA. (2015, April 30). Retrieved May 01, 2015, from http//ewb-usa.org/Kruawal, K., Sacher, F., Werner, A. (2004). chemic water quality in Thailand and its impacts on the drinking water production in Thailand. Retrieved from http%3A%2F%2Fac.els-cdn.com%2FS004896970400614X%2F1-s2.0-S004896970400614X-main.pdf%3F_tid%3D8162c9a2-f367-11e4-a079-00000aacb362%26acdnat%3D1430858840_a616e75e376e38244de835b5426bfe6eMartindale, T., P.E. (2014). Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Program Program Description. Retrieved from https//s3.amazonaws.com/ewbgeneral/COMPILED PMEL Program Description.pdfSilagi, E., Kretch, J. (2012). Thailand Project (Issue brief). Retrieved http//ewb.rutgers.edu/projects/thailand.htmlSuraratdecha, C., Saithanu, S., Tangcharoensathien, V. (2004). Is frequent coverage a solution for disparities in health care? Findings from three low-income provinces of Thailand. Retrieved from http%3A%2F%2Fac.els-cdn.com%2FS0168851004002672%2F1-s2.0-S0168851004002672-main.pdf%3F_tid%3D716c58c4-f4f2-11e4-b27d-00000aab0f6c%26acdnat%3D1431028465_6547fe9d9e83439cb473ec48c34fc224Warm Heart Worldwide. (2015). Retrieved from http//warmheartworldwide.org/Chartism A Failed SuccessChartism A Failed SuccessBritish children born(p) into farming families in the early nineteenth century stood little chance of remaining in agriculture their entire life. The society in which they lived was changing in large ways. Industrialization was slowly creeping into the countryside as men implemented new technology alongside the old. The domestic market grew markedly as income per head of population expanded and a consumer revolution percolated down from the richer rowes to the middle ranks and artisans. People began moving to the city. It remains debatable as to whether individuals and families were compelled to move searching for work or if they were compelled to move due to enclosure. Villages such as Styal and Cromford were constructed to house more or less of the workers moving to factory towns. A quick journey down these village streets today provides some glimpse of the crowded conditions good deal endured. The rear alleyway below bedroom windows reserved for swine and human refuse reminds visitors of the intimacy working class people had with their animals and waste. Today birds singing from the chimneys are a far cry from the high volume of soot once produced by the coal burning within. No matter the pauperization for moving, migrants found life in the industrial English city or town in the 1800s quite grim.Westminster played little role in the regulation of cities. England was still a country with very little government from the cracker bonbon, and almost all the local responsibilities, health, housing, education, police, that are now subject to strict inspection and control, were left(p) to the unchecked discretion and pleasure of magistrates and borough rulers. Unfortunately for members of the working class many of the magistrates and rulers were sympathetic to factory owners or were owners themselves. It was an incredibly unjust system of gover nance presided over by men such as Cromford industrialist Joseph Arkwright. Therefore the Chartist case was likely to fail. This is a vital reminder that those with power rarely surrender it to those without unless they tone compelled by the threat of physical harm or superior clean authority.Chartists arose from Britains working class determined to gain a voice in their portion through democratic participation. Their goals were admirable but their strategy weak. The working class lived in squalid conditions and was used repeatedly as political leverage by the merchant class. The Reform Bill of 1832 was one such example. Harold Faulkner wrote of the eventWhen the smoke of the struggle cleared away, the great class disfranchised discovered that not only had they reaped no benefit from the reform they had so largely helped to win, but that their lot under a reformed Parliament dominated by the doctrines of the Manchester School seemed to be worse than ever.Economic thought of Manch ester School politicians was that of laissez faire capitalism. Clearly their policies were not designed to aid the evild workers of Britain. However, determined Chartists planned to overcome the lockout workingmen had long endured in the political arena. Unfortunately, time would prove they were not the well-organized army the working class so desperately needed. The movement functioned far better as a social, emotional, and even apparitional agent than one of political change. Chartists failed to achieve their stated goals due to their nature as an emotionally fuelled reactionary concretion bound only by their six simple objectives articulated in the Peoples Charter of 1838.Life was absolutely miserable for the working class. The idea of the town as a focus for civilization, a center where the emancipating and enlightening influence of the time can act rapidly and with effect, the school of social arts, the nursery of social enterprise, the witness to the beauty and order and fr eedom that men can bring into their lives, had vanished from all minds. Industrial change allowed powerful capitalists to dominate life in small towns across England. Discontent was not unique to Chartism. affectionate angst in the period existed in several forms. Eric Hobsbawm identifies unhappy segments of the population including Luddite and Radical, trade unionist and utopian-socialist, Democratic and Chartist. The largest class of people was unhappy with life and increasingly conscious of their group identity. It could have been caused by the changes slowly eliminating traditional trades, shift in power from landed nobility to the capitalist class, or movement of people from the crap to the city. Nevertheless the sheer number of defy movements demonstrates a clear unhappiness in nineteenth century Britain. All that was needed to turn consciousness into impinge was an economic or political crisis. For the working class that outrage first occurred on the moors at St. Peters F ields and combined with the knowledge of revolutionary France.The so-called 1819 despatch at Peterloo in which eleven were killed struck an emotional chord among the working class. They had rehearsed the event repeatedly. Men, women, and children donned their Sunday best and marched in columns to show their non-violent nature. The working class intend to prove it too could be an orderly component of society. However the government feared anarchic results akin to those in France at the Bastille. The local military machine contingent was frighten by the workers discipline and a magistrate became alarmed and ordered the march on the field outside Manchester be stopped. The event turned bloodyThe cartoon in extension A reveals the attitude often attributed to the middle class of the day. Hefty cavalry members sit atop sturdy steeds with swords raised to mutilate men, women, and even children. The supply reads, in part remember the more you kill the less poor rates youll have to pay The viewer cannot help but sympathize with the skinny-likely hungry-mother whose impair clings to her breast as she stares at a sword raised to strike them by a man who has had far too much for dinner. The cartoonist does an excellent job portraying wealth and power through weight and garb. State-condoned murder on St. Peters Fields near Manchester by those in positions of authority contributed to the sense of class-consciousness Kenneth Morgan identifies in The receive of Industrial Britain.The Peterloo tragedy further energized by the pang of unhappiness deep within the workingmans gut finally pushed a number of radical groups to join forces as the Chartists. They offered a simple-albeit difficult to enact-political solution to mend Englands social and political ills. They rallied around a platform of six reforms, which they publish as the Peoples Charter on 8 May 1838. The resolution called for universal suffrage, no post qualifications for the electorate, annual parliaments , equal representation, salary for MPs, and implementation of the secret ballot. A number of historians argue that this was a major peak of the movement.D.G. Wright argued that the movement was not unilinear but had three peaks, one being 1839-40, the others included 1842 and 1848. Coincidentally, each of the identified peaks in the movement closely mirrors low points economically for Britain when poverty was greatest. The unmistakable correlation reminds us that Chartism was fuelled by passions of the impoverished. Most participants of Chartist events were neither intellectual nor bourgeois. Politically the movement never firmly gelled it remained a movement of regional organizations guided by a single unifying document and no clear agreement among leaders. The Chartist paper called The Northern Star published accounts from numerous leaders. The best known was Feargus OConnor.The Chartist movement required leadership. Vocal leaders traveling throughout England took turns masking a nd exacerbating the divisions within Chartism. The leading men did not always concur on political issues, social goals, or Chartist strategy. Leader George Julian Harney exemplified this in a mid-1840s letter to his friend Friedrich Engels. Harney a national leader of Chartism thrice imprisoned for disobeying the stamp laws wroteAs to what OC onnor has been saying lately about physical force, I think nothing of it. The English people will not adopt Thomas Coopers slavish notions about peace and non-resistance but neither would they act upon the opposite doctrine. They applaud it at public meetings, but that is all.The absence seizure of unified strategy allowed politicians to employ a divide and conquer strategy. This proved fatal to the underdog movement.Feargus OConnor was the most virulent of Chartist leaders. He was quite self-absorbed, a apostolical self-promoter. His charisma captivated the working classes in a way hardly a(prenominal) other movement leaders could. What OCon nor did do was to link the various aspects of Chartism, and while dividing the leadership he united the movement. The unstable nature of the working class coalition united behind the Peoples Charter needed strong leadership in order to be successful. OConnor derived authority from his physical appearance and charismatic character. Historian R.G. Gammage described OConnor in his 1854 account of Chartism. There he wroteUpwards of six feet in height, portly and athletic, and in spite of his opinions invested with a sort of aristocratic bearing, the sight of his person was calculated to inspire the masses with a solemn awe. So true is it that despite the march of civilization, and the increase of respect for mental superiority, men are generally impressed with a veneration for superior physical power.The Irishmans physical presence whole demanded some confidence from the crowd. Unfortunately for Chartism physical dominance of one charismatic man could not carry the agenda of an entir e class of people.The average working class individual did not spend every waking hour attempting to make Chartism successful. Nor did the workingman await every word or message spewed from the fractured leadership. Chartist rallies were specs during which the working class nodded and applauded. That was the strongest action most Chartist men and women took One imagines tired men and women attending a great open-air speech by OConnor much like those of Methodisms John Wesley. It was an uplifting experience, but there was limited ongoing dedication to the crusade. It was a periodic commitment with robust bursts of energy during times of severe hunger and unemployment.Many of the regional units-such as London Working Mens Association and the Birmingham Political Union-associated with Chartism sought to satisfy peoples needs for community, especially through entertainment. There was a need to engage the imagination in order to raise important questions of the day. Men and women were e ngaged socially through events sponsored by working class groups. The camaraderie built by the work environment and common belief that they were fundamentally mistreated went a long way in maintaining the loose fusion of regional movements that had differing interests outside the Chartist platform.Religion also found its place as an energy source for the Chartist movement. The established Church of England was of little use to the working class. High church was not the place for the working class. After all, the typical Chartist was a horny-handed son of toil. Anglicanism made no attempt to speak to to men with fustian jackets, unshorn chins, and blistered hands. The Wesleyan Methodists were more accommodating than the established church. However, during the nineteenth century Methodism was dominated by a forbidding clerical autocracy-Chartists cute democracy Therefore many Chartists made their Christianity personal.The favorite scriptural teaching of Chartist Christians is found in the Gospel of Matthew. The verses are quite elementary and commit to memory by Christians worldwideJesus replied Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the arcsecond is like it Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hand on these two commandments.Jesus conveys basic teachings in only a few lines, which the workers could easily interpret. By this Biblical standard they knew they were being wrongly treated. On this issue Chartists could claim the moral high ground. The religious experience was part of a much larger Chartist movement. Chartist branches at the local level, like those of the Owenites, provided a substantial menu of recreational, educational, and religious activities which amounted to an alternative culture, within which members could move freely during their leisure hours. This further reinforced the ideas promoted by the Peoples Charter. And, it gave the middling class supporters a place of refuge. Being a Chartist was a risky business that invited abuse and threatened career, reputation, and liberty. However the support offered by the working class to members of the intelligentsia or bourgeoisie supporting Chartism on moral grounds was minimal given the non-existent social influence of the laboring class.The six-point Peoples Charter faced an intense battle from its inception. The platform would have been difficult to enact even if all conditions were stellar. Had Chartists been the ideal protest movement of outraged, politically astute, impoverished masses, guided by unified leadership and common interests across regions, motivated by a deep sense of moral justice, supported by the middle class, and determined at all costs their demands-or should we say requests-would have had a better chance of parliamentary ratification. In addition, the blow of the 1832 Reform Act to address working class needs was a demoralizing sho ck to its labor advocates. The Whigs used labor to gain a great say in British government my using, then marginalizing, the working class. Hindsight reveals the situation was far from ideal for Chartists.The 1849 Punch cartoon by John Leech found in Appendix B is far more indicative of reality. The cartoonist is likely poking fun at the Chartist failures of 1848 which included London riots, a daylight of Protest, a failed Irish rising, and a planned British uprising all in the month of June. Not to mention the failed petition submitted to Westminster in April 1848, which a parliamentary committee found rife with fraudulent signatures. Leech drew an unidentified Chartist leader with before and after frames juxtaposed. When confronted by a constable, the ragged leader who had called for a march on the palace suddenly cowers changing his tune to God Save the Queen. This is an accurate depiction of Chartist fervor. It was lukewarm at bestChartists failed to achieve their six goals due to their nature as an emotionally fuelled reactionary coalition of regional labor groups dedicated to different social agendas. Divided and sometimes self-absorbed leaders who failed to meld the various labor organizations of the north and south into a truly unified movement compounded the difficulty of their task. The issues for laborers in the various regions of England remained quite diverse due to varying stages of industrialization. It is unlikely they could have ever formed a strong unified bloc. Chartism was forced to remain an uneasy coalition of regional interests with a leadership of diverse opinion advocating peaceful and militant tactics simultaneously.The movement further lacked the motivation to sustain itself consistently. There was little spill of reform when the economy was doing well. The masses were mollified when there was plenty of bread in their bellies and a stable government at Britannias helm. Chartism began in the 1830s, an era that experienced no fewer t han five national elections. And Wright reminds readers that the movement peaked with public disorder and petitioning on three occasions when the economy ebbed. Workers were motivated by the desperate situation in which they and their families were stuck.Contemporary scholars should resist temptation and refrain from being overly critical of Chartists. There is a need to overlook the megalomania of OConnor and the mediocre dedication to the take on by the exhausted working class. The Peoples Charter articulated six issues on which its adherents could agree. As it turned out those were the only six items about which they could agree. James Epstein and Dorothy Thompson verbalised this perfectly in The Chartist Experience. According to these authorsFor all its failings, the mass platform Peoples Charter had given shape and protection to working-class radicalism rendering it impervious to any diluting. Following the abandonment of the mass platform, Chartism was permeated by a miscell any of reform groups all of whom repudiated confrontation, intimidation, and exclusive nature of working-class protest.The charter established a common cause for the working class. However the movement stood little chance no matter how unified it became. Chartists faced a powerful national government of aristocrats and capitalists with a well-equipped military at its command. The Chartist movement had ceased to exist by 1858. But its ideas live on in various splinter reform groups.Universal suffrage, no property qualifications for the electorate, annual parliaments, equal representation, pay for MPs, and the secret ballot all exist in todays Britain and most of its former possessions. The historian of Chartism might dwell on the glum side, and select those aspects of working-class life which prompted political concern and social protest, but these need to be set against the broader canvas of what urban life could be. Chartists successfully do the political conversation of their da y. Try as they might, leading politicians in the government could not eradicate the ideas of Chartism. The legacy of beliefs enshrined in the Peoples Charter lived long after Chartism ceased to exist.Appendix ACartoon. Text in upper right Down with em Chop em down my brave boys give them no quarter they want to take our Beef Pudding from us - remember the more you kill the less poor rates youll have to pay so go at it Lads show your courage your LoyaltyAvailable at 31 Jul 2006.Appendix BJohn Leech. Great Chartist Demonstration 9 from Punch, 1849. Available at 31 Jul 2006.

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