Portrait of Harney 

The East London Democratic Association was founded in January 1837 (on the centennial of Thomas Paine's birth). It announced that: The object of this Association is to promote the Moral and Political condition of the Working Classes by disseminating the principles propagated by that great philosopher and redeemer of mankind, the Immortal ‘THOMAS PAINE’. It was founded by a group of men, some of whom had been active in 1830-32, but also including a number of younger men, such as George Julian Harney who had been part of the campaign for an unstamped press. While not ideologically distinct initially from the London Working Men's Association, the ELDA widened the scope of its concerns following the Irish radical (and LWMA member) Daniel O'Connell's denunciation of trade union activism subsequent to the arrest of members of the Glasgow cotton spinners union. In response, the ELDA emphasised its roots in the proletariat of the city and widened its concerns to include social equality, the free press, and an eight-hour working day. In doing so it effectively secured wider support than the LWMA across the city. In August 1838, the Association dropped the 'East' - becoming the London Democratic Association.

Its more radical stance was evident when the first Chartist meeting discussed 'means'. Members of the ELDA were prominent in pointing to the limits of 'moral force' and arguing for recourse to physical force to protect their communities and to increase their bargaining power. In 1839 a Women's London Democratic Association was founded by a number of women linked to the LDA.

George Julian Harney 1817-1897 was a major figure in political and social reform movements from the 1830s. Having intended a career at sea, he became an assistant in LWMA member Henry Hethrington's print shop, and was imprisoned on three occasions for selling the unstamped Black Dwarf. He grew impatient with the LWMA and became associated with the more radical ideas of William Benbow, James Bronterre O'Brien, and Feargus O'Connor, and collaborated with others in the setting up of the ELDA.

Harney became the editor of the Northern Star, the main Chartist paper in 1843, and persuaded both Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels to contribute to the paper.  His developing socialism led to disagreements with Feargus O'Connor, who forced his resignation from the Star.  He set up his own paper, the Red Republican, arguing for socialism and internationalism. The Red Roublican  published the first English translation of the Communist Manifesto in 1850.