The Co-operative Movement and Communities in Britain, 1914-1960: Minding Their Own Business

by Nicole Robertson, Malcolm Chase

Overview

The co-operative movement has played a notable role in the retail, wholesale, productive, political, educational and cultural life of Britain. This book provides the first major national study of the growth of co-operation and its impact on British society during this crucial period of war and peace.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781409480839
Publisher:	Ashgate Publishing Ltd
Publication date:	06/28/2013
Series:	Studies in Labour History
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Nicole Robertson is Lecturer in History at Northumbria University and previously held the R. H. Tawney Fellowship awarded by the Economic History Society/Institute of Historical Research. She was at the University of Nottingham during this Fellowship.

Table of Contents

Contents: Preface; The Co-operative Movement in Britain; Co-operative Retail Societies and the community; The ideology behind the shop front; The social-cultural milieu of the Co-operative Movement. 'We seek to provide food for the mind': the educational work of Co-operative Societies; Protecting the consumer; The Co-operative Movement and political action; Workers and consumers in partnership? The Co-operative Movement as an employer of labour; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

'Robertson's work is a substantive contribution that makes clear the enormous complexity of a movement composed of regional or local societies whose membership, productive and retail interests, ideological commitments, and local community roles varied enormously.' Journal of British Studies '... in exploring the creation and nature of a ’co-operative community’, Robertson raises many valuable questions and offers a wealth of interesting source material. Her impeccable attention to detail draws out the many tensions and complexities of the movement. Most clearly, she highlights ’the multi-layered nature of co-operative membership’ (p. 2). She makes a convincing case for the relevance of the co-op to any study of the history of the labour movement or the social history of Britain.' Cultural and Social History

From the Publisher