Why Was Fergus O’Connor Seen As A Hindrance To The Chartist Movement?

Fergus O'Connor is widely considered as the most popular Chartist leader. However, numerous aspects of his life led to his demise. Many argued he spoilt the movement and stirred up a spirit of hate, intolerance and bad feeling. He was described as erratic, a characteristics which led to a series of mistakes and contradictions.

Many said he had few of the qualities of a great leader. He traded on the passions of the people for his own profit and advantage. The sheer magnitude of the task of gaining enfranchisement for working men meant that he battled to overcome the different dimensions within the working class movement. However, his critics accept he did well in relation to the problems he faced. But his opponents described him as a dictator who was opposed to democracy. He worked people up into a frenzy, had no consistent policy and lacked judgement. In short, he was a victim of his own delusion.

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