A History of British Trade Unionism

A History of British Trade Unionism

Today trade unionism plays a more important part in the nation’s economy than ever before, and its problems of internal reform and its relations with the government and the public are constantly under discussion. But its present structure can only be understood in relation to its long history.

Henry Pelling, a Fellow of The Queen’s College, Oxford, and author of The Origins of the Labour Party, leads the reader through a vivid story of struggle and development covering more than four centuries: from the medieval guilds and early craftsmen's and laborers' associations to the dramatic growth of trade unionism in Britain in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

He shows how powerful personalities such as Robert Applegarth, Henry Broadhurst, Tom Mann, Ernest Bevin, and Walter Citrine have helped to shape the pattern of present-day unionism; and, how the problems of today’s leaders stem from the need to adapt attitudes and structure molded in the conflicts of earlier generations.

Henry Pelling

1963

PDF

English

Paper