Working-Class Self-Help in Nineteenth-Century England

First published in 1995, this book provides a readable survey of the three major forms of working-class self-help in nineteenth century England: the trade unions, the friendly societies and the co-operative movement. It is accessible to an introductory student readership as well as providing a critical appraisal of all types and forms of self-help available to the industrial working-class. Unlike former studies, the author examines trade unionism alongside friendly societies and the co-operative movement and shows how each developed in response to the challenge of industrialization and the demands of urban industrial life. The strengths and limitations of self-help approaches are assessed and wider issues of working-class culture and identity are examined. This book will be of interest to those studying the history of social welfare, class and industrial Britain.

Eric Hopkins

Preface; Introduction; Part One: The friendly societies; 1. Friendly societies in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries 2. The growth of the affiliated and other societies 3. Friendly societies after 1875; Part Two: The trade unions; 4. The early days of trade unions 1780-1825 5. Legal but under suspicion 1825-1850 6. Model Unionism and respectability 1850-1880 7. New unionism and new outlooks 1880-1900 8. The political and industrial scene 1900-1914; Part Three: The co-operative movement; 9. Before Rochdale 10. Rochdale and after: the Modern Movement; Conclusions; Select Bibliography; Index