Char ‧ tists, the /ˈtʃɑːtəsts, ˈtʃɑːtɪsts $ ˈtʃɑːr-/ BrE AmE
a political group of people that was active in the UK in the 1830s and 1840s. They demanded changes that were regarded as very extreme at that time, such as giving all men the right to vote and to become Members of Parliament. Some of them were sent to prisons in Australia as a punishment.