Great Chartist Meeting, Kennington Commons, England, April 10, 1848. Chartism was the first mass working-class labor movement in human history. The working class as a socio-economic group was created by the Industrial Revolution. The Chartists sought universal male suffrage, the secret ballot, the abolition of property qualifications for members of Parliament, salaries for politicians (so that the poor could afford to serve in public office), equal constituencies with electors representing the same number of voters, and annual parliaments. Click here to enlarge.