Labour History and the Labour Movement in Britain

by Sidney Pollard

Overview

This volume focuses on labour history in Britain, but brings in comparative material on the Continent, in particular inter-war Germany. Special attention is given to wages and living and working conditions in the 19th century, to Robert Owen and Co-operation, and to the modern trade union movement and its attempts to keep up the interests of its members in the fluctuating conditions of the late 19th and earlier 20th centuries. The author defends the notion that wage-earners have common interests and frequently share common experiences, and that their organisations have both a strictly economic aspect (trade unions) and a wider political dimension. The profound changes which the labour organisations underwent in the 19th and 20th centuries are a major concern of these essays.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781040248300
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	08/01/2024
Series:	Variorum Collected Studies
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336

About the Author

Sidney Pollard was formerly at University of Bielefeld, Germany, and University of Sheffield, UK

Table of Contents

Contents: Introduction; Wages and Working Conditions: Management and labour in Britain during the period of industrialisation; Labour; The ethics of the Sheffield outrages; Wages and earnings in the Sheffield trades, 1851-1914; Real earnings in Sheffield; Robert Owen and the Co-operative Movement: Robert Owen and the reduction in working hours: some considerations in the light of recent research; Dr William King of Ipswich: a Co-operative pioneer; Nineteenth-century co-operation: from community building to shopkeeping; The foundation of the Co-operative Party; Modern Trade Unions and the Labour Party: The new unionism in Britain: its economic background; Trade unions and the labour market, 1876-1914; Trade union reactions to the economic crisis; The trade unions and the depression of 1929-1933; German trade union policy 1929-1933 in the light of the British experience; The nationalisation of the banks: the chequered history of a socialist proposal; Index.

Editorial Reviews

Drawing primarily on records of workers in Sheffield, the 15 essays originally published between 1954 and 1993 comprise the by-product of a full-length study of the working class there that examined living standards, housing, health, and other factors in addition to conditions at their place of work. Four consider Robert Owen and the cooperative movement of the 19th century. Other topics include management and labor in Britain during the period of industrialization, the ethics of the Sheffield outrages, the economic background of the new unionism in Britain, trade union reactions to the economic crisis, and the chequered history of the socialist proposal to nationalize the banks. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

’This is a valuable collection of papers that teachers would gain much from reading with care.’ Teaching History ’...fifteen important essays...all written with clarity and scholarship.’ Northern History, Vol. XXXVI 'A distinguished labor and economic historian... Anyone interested in British Labor history will want to look at this volume.' Victorian Studies '... all (15 essays) demonstrate their author's deep knowledge and understanding of his subject.' Labour History Review

From the Publisher