ADV INFO Social Change 1886-1914 Flashcards
what was trade union membership in 1888
they had about 750,000 members
how much of the population was represented by a trade union
about 10% of all adult male workers in the economy
what did traditional unions and new model unions focus on
defending the interests of their members (often defending them against the encroachment into their trade from unskilled workers)
how were the new unions different
they were more political and influenced by socialist ideas. New unionism emerged in part because of improving trade conditions and was more prominent in industries that were starting to grow rapidly
what was the unions’ growth also due to
terrible social conditions in which the new union members lived.
what had the social conditions led to
they had started to diminish people’s belief in a system based on laissez-faire economics being able to produce a society for all
what had the poor social condition politically changed
they had led to an increase in socialism and the call for greater government intervention
what did the new unions want
fundamental changes to wealth and income distribution in favour of the low-paid workers
when was the matchgirls’ strike
1888
who was the leader of the matchgirls’ strike
Annie Besant
who was Annie Besant
a member of the socialist party (SDF) and the fabian society
why were new unions known as general unions
they admitted anyone within the industry, regardless of their job, and charged very low subscriptions
what happened in the summer of 1888 for trade unions
a strike at Bryant and May match factory, women earning on average five shillings (25p) for a 70-hour week.
what was the result of the Bryant and May match factory strike
it was successful and a matchgirls’ union was formed the following year with 800 members
what happened in March 1889
gas workers’ and general labourers’ union was created and had 20,000 members by the end of the year
what happened on the 14th of August 1889
the Great London dock trike
how long did the Great London dock strike last
five weeks
what were the statistics of the Great London dock strike
100,000 workers were on strike
what did the strikers of the dock strike demand
6d. per hour
who did the dockers gain the support of
within Britain and abroad (£30,000 raised by dockers in Australia)
what was the result of the docker’s strike
in the same year, a seamen’s union and General Railwayworkers’ Union were also formed
what happened in the 1890s for the unions
employers fought back
what was created in the 1890s
the shipping federation was created to break the hold of the Dockers Union
what happened in 1893
the national free labour association provided blackleg labour to the federation and other employers
what happened to the membership of the dockers’ union
it fell from 56,000 in 1890 to 23,000 by 1892
what did the late 1880s and early 1890s see
a burst of activity from the new unions and rapid growth in the years 1888-91
how could it be seen that the new unions had a significant impact
the matchgirls and London dockers succeded in improving their pay and conditions
what did the mass increase in new union membership show
growing political consciousness among the working classes and a greater sense of working-class solidarity
what weakened the position of the workers and led to a retreat of the trade unions
the continuing depression of the 1890s
what did the continuing economic hardships do
meant that employers were blae to find workers willing to break strikes
what happened to the unions in the 1880s
their membership and popularity started to fall
what judgement happened in 1901
THE TAFF VALE JUDGEMENT
What caused the taff vale judgement
the amalgamated society of railway servants (ASRS) had asked for a wage increase for its members, as the Taff Vale Railway Company was making higher profits from the increased demand created by the Boer War
what did the Taff Vale company do
they refused to accept the unions’ right to negotiate and brought in ‘blackleg’ labour from the national free labour association
what was the National Free Labour Association
set up in 1893 to offer non-union workers to employers to break strikes
what was the result of the Taff Vale companies’ refusal
an injunction was put in place to stop the union picketing and they also sued the union for damages to compensate for lost revenue during the strike
what happened to the disagreement between the Taff Vale Companies
the case went to the House of Lords and the union suffered a complete defeat and was ordered to pay £23,000 in compensation and costs
what was the result of the taff vale judgement
it sent shockwaves across the union movement, as it brought into focus the risk of being bankrupted through strike action and seemed to remove the movement’s most important weapons of collective bargaining, striking and picketing
what bill passed in 1906
the trade disputes act
who brought in the trade disputes act
the liberal government (based on a labour party bill)
what did the trade disputes act do
it overruled the Taff Vale decision, strengthening the union movement and leading to an increasing number supporting the Labour party, which now had a growing number of MPs
who was Walter Osborne
a member of ASRS
what did Walter Osborne do
objected to paying the political levy that went to the Labour Party.
what happened to the Osborne case
it went to the House of Lords
what did the House of Lords rule on the Osborne Case
they ruled in Osborne’s favour.
what happened as a result of the Osborne Judgement
this hit the Labour Party hard, but elicited a great deal of sympathy for the Labour party among the trade unionists
what overturned the Osborne Judgement
it was overturned by the Trade Union Act in 1913 and the majority of trade unionists voted in support of the political levy
what did the trade union movement remain divided between
moderates (lib-labbers) and radicals (socialists)
what did the period of 1908 to 1914 see
a wave of strikes and industrial unrest, with numerous large-scale strikes and associated outbreaks of violence between 1910 and 1914
what is an example of the strike violence
the killing of a miner in Tonypandy in 1910 and troops shooting dead two strikers who attacked a train in Llanelli in 1911
when were there a number of national strikes and what strikes were there
the first-ever national railway strike in 1911 and the first-ever national transport strike in 1912.
what happened in 1914
three of the biggest unions formed an agreement to take sympathetic action if ever one of them went on strike
what idea was gaining ground in 1910-14
syndicalism
what is syndicalism
a form of revolutionary socialism that aims to overthrow the capitalist system and replace it with a socialist system based on the trade union movement,
what happened to the total trade union membership
1908 - 2.48 million
1914 - 4.14 million
what happened to the number of stoppages (hundreds
1908 - 3.89
1913 - 14.59
what happened to the number of working days lost
1908 - 10.79 million
1912 - 40.89 million
1914 - 9.88 million
who wrote revolutionary unionism
E.J.B Allen
who was E.J.B Allen
a former member of the SDF
when did Allen write revolutionary unionism
1909
what did Revolutionary Unionism do
influenced the trade unionist Tom Mann (one of the leaders of the London Dock Strike of 1889, after which he had gone to Australia. He returned to England in 1910)
what did Tom Mann do
he became the champion of British syndicalists and aimed to work within existing union structures to unite the workers and bring about a general strike.
what did Tom Mann and Guy Bowman launch
a newspaper called the industrial syndicalist, as well as the industrial syndicalist education league
what events highlight the impact and influence of Syndicalism
- the aggressive tactics of the ASRS and South Wales Miners’ Federation in 1911 and 1912
- the triple alliance
what was the triple alliance
the miners’ federation, the national union of railwaymen and the national transport workers’ federation,
what was the consequence of the ‘open letter to British soldiers’
they were sentenced to up to nine months in prison for the incitement to mutiny; following support from the trade union movement they were released early
how could it be argued about the true impact of syndicalism
it was only really involved in a minority of the key strikes of this period. It is also dismissed because the majority of union leaders were moderate and only in the strikes in South Wales and Liverpool was there strong evidence of syndicalist involvement.
which two groups were pushing for female emancipation
the suffragist movement (the national society for women's suffrage) the suffragettes (Women's social and political union, WSPU)
what were the suffragettes like
they were formed in 1903 and took a militant approach
what were the suffragists like
they dated back to the 1860s and pushed for reform, working within the law and society’s conventions
who was the common enemy of both female suffrage groups
the anti-suffrage league
what proved to be a failure for emancipation
the 1884 reform bill.
why did the 1884 reform bill fail
it became clear that the PM, Gladstone, did not support the amendment; in 1892 he overtly stated that he did to and would not support the female franchise on ideological grounds
what did the suffragists fail to do
convert the Liberals at the time of the Reform Bill and in the following years the tactic of getting MPs to pass ap private member’s bill also failed
what was the view of some Liberal MPs
they did support female suffrage and the majority of Liberals had voted for female suffrage on various occasions between 1867 and 1886
what did the Liberals grant to women
they gave single women the vote in local government elections and allowed women to join schools boards - key steps for women into the public domain and toward the franchise
when did the Conservatives seem to warm to the idea of female enfranchisement
after the Reform Act of 1884 (this was possibly motivated by the fact that they hoped middle-class women would vote for them)
what did the highly important Conservative organisation, the Primrose League, do
they catered for women who were attracted by the opportunity to brush shoulders with the upper classes
what was the view of the primrose league
they did not support female suffrage but did not prevent its members from doing so
what did the Liberal suffragists do
split over home rule
What did the suffragist movement split over in the 1880s
over whether to stick to a non-party approach.
when was the NSWS (suffragists) restructured
in 1888
what did the NSWS do
it allowed groups affiliated with political parties to join
who feared that the non-political organisations would be swamped by the much more numerous political organisation
Millicent Fawcett and Lydia Becker
why were almost all the political groups joining the NSWS being Liberal
because the groups linked to the Conservative Primrose League weren’t allowed to affiliate with other organisations
What did Fawcett and Becker create
a breakaway group that did not follow the new rules.
when was the WSPU (suffragettes set up )
in October 1903
who set up the WSPU
Emmeline Pankhurst
what caused the creation of the WSPU
a socialist meeting hall was built in Pankhurt’s husband’s memory, and when the ILP branch that used the hall refused to allow women, Emmeline decided that something different was needed
Why did the WSPU stand out from other groups
it was willing to use confrontation and violence
what was Black Friday
in 1910, Ada Wright was assaulted by the police
why did women feel empowered
by the precedent of militant action leading to the extension of the franchise in 1832 and 1867
what tactics did the suffragettes use
window breaking and arson (including Lloyd George’s country house)
what did the suffragette’s tactic seem to prove
more shock value than a way of attracting support
what created sympathy for the suffragettes
the hunger strikes and the forced feeding, which created such outrage that it was dropped as a policy by the government, providing a propaganda coup
what happened in June 1913
when Emily Davison attempted to pin a suffragette rosette on the King’s horse and grabbed its reins. The horse fell and Davison received fatal head injuries. The cause now had a martyr and her funeral was attended by huge crowds
when was the cat and mouse act
1913
what did the cat and mouse act do
the release of prisoners who were too ill from hunger striking just to re-arrest them.
what was the first phase of the WSPU’s action
May 1906 - June 1908 - confronting parliament and ministers, campaigning at by-elections
what was the second phase of the WSPU’s action
June 1908 - Jan 1910 - window breaking, technical offences, hunger strikes
what was the third phase of the WSPU’s action
Nov 1911 - Aug 1914 - Window breaking on a larger scale, mass hunger strikes, arson attacks, attacks on property
what did the anti-suffrage league have
both men’s and women’s sections - by April 1912 it had over 10,000 members and 235 branches
what did the anti-suffrage league do
it lobbied MPs, used constitutional methods and remained clear of party affiliation. It received support from the times and other national and regional papers.
what did the anti-suffrage league argue
- that many women did not really want the vote
- ‘biological’ arguments about women being less rational and more emotional and so unfit to vote, as well as being weaker and therefore incapable of fighting to defend the country like men
- that women should remain in the domestic sphere and men in the public sphere
which was the only party in 1914 to support female suffrage
the Labour party
what did the militant tactics of the WSPU do
it created anger among some
what did the action of the authorities do
actions like the ‘cat and mouse act’ evoked sympathy for the movement
what continued in the period 1886-1914
rapid urbanisation
what was the ratio of urban to the rural population
3:1 (it had been 1:1 in the 1850s)
what continued to fall despite the end of the depression
employment opportunities in agriculture
where was work increasingly available
urban wages were higher than rural ones
what did towns and cities offer
higher wages than rural areas
what was passed in 1875
the public health act
what was the public health act an example of
attitudes towards public health had taken a leap forward
what happened to the population of the UK
1881 - 34,940,000
1921 - 47,170,000
what happened to the population of manchester during the period
1881 - 502,000
1921 - 730,000
what had towns become more efficient at doing by 1900
suppling water services and municipal gas
what were there chronic shortages in
accommodation, in particular near the factories
what had a lack of planning and transport led to
the working classes living in the smoke around the factories in overcrowded conditions
when were the housing of the working classes acts
1890 and 1900
what did the housing of the working classes act do
compelled local authorities to demolish unhealthy housing (owners of slum housing could be compelled to sell it to the council) and provide other accommodation for those made homeless
what did the 1890 housing of the working classes act do
it made loans to build new houses easier to obtain, but both acts failed to deal with strategic planning of the expanding towns
what was published in 1898
To-morrow: a peaceful path to real reform
who wrote To-morrow in 1898
Ebenezer Howard
what did Ebenezer Howard say in 1898
he campaigned for overall town planning and his book offered a vision of towns with no slums and fresh air, but still all the opportunities of other towns
what was founded in 1903 following the ideas of Ebenezer Howard
Letchworth Garden City
what was Howard’s main idea
the three magnets diagram kept industry and residential areas separate.
what was passed in 1909
the housing and town planning act
who passed the housing and town planning act
the liberal government
what did the housing and town planning act 1909 do
it allowed local authorities to carry out town planning schemes to avoid the piecemeal building,
what was the issue with the housing and town planning act
it was not compulsory so only one major scheme started before 1914
where was there clear growth in the industry
the service industry
which businesses became a staple of British retail
Lipton, Boots and Sainsbury’s
who did Lipton and Sainsbury tailor their products to
the middle classes
what happened to food prices
they dropped in the last part of the 19th century meaning that the working class gained access to this greater range of quality food products
what new shops emerged during the period
penny bazaars
what were penny bazaars
shops that had a penny price limit on their goods
what is a famous penny bazaar
marks and spencer
what is an example of the new focus on consumers
Lever Brothers appealed to customers through advertising campaigns
what was a vital cornerstone to the British economy
financial services
what dominated banking
the city of London
what did the London stock exchange provide
the opportunity for businessmen to float their companies and raise income through selling shares
what flourished during the period
Blackpool and other seaside resorts as people went on days out (the introduction of bank holidays in 1871 was significant here) and took short breaks.
how many people visited Blackpool in 1913
4 million
when were bank holidays introduced
1871
what did the working-class love during the period
watching football
what was founded in 1888
the football league
how many people attended the FA cup final in 1901
100,000 people
what other leisure activities were there for the working masses
watching and betting on horse and dog racing
what are the examples of inequality and poverty in this period
the rise of the labour party and growth of trade unions, the new political ideology of new liberalism and the debate over national efficiency
what are the examples of improving living standards
Falling prices led to improvements in real wages and standards of living. The growth of retail and leisure industries, in particular those aimed at the working classes, would also suggest that standards of living were increasing. Reforms in public health and social reforms will have also helped the standards of living for many.
what were the two key surveys during the period on the amount of poverty
Charles Booth in London and Seebohm Rowntree in York
what was Charles booth’s survey called
Life and Labour in London
when was life and labour in London released
1889
what did Booth find
- 30% of London’s population lived below the poverty line.
- 8.5% lived in primary poverty, unable to afford basics of food, clothes and housing
- 22% lived in secondary poverty, makings ends meet but at a minimal level
when was Rowntree’s survey of york
1899
what did the survey of York find?
- 28% of the population were living in poverty
- poverty was caused by low wages, lack of regular work, ill health, old ages and large families
what did the two reports do
significantly undermined traditional attitudes towards poverty, as they demonstrated that ‘thrift’ and other victorian remedies for poverty were not possible for almost a third of Britain’s population
what happened to prices during the period
starting with an index of 100 in 1880-84
76 in 1895-99
102 in 1910-13
what was agriculture during this period
the hardest hit and lowest paying of all industries
what happened to agriculture
even it saw a growth in incomes year on year, which suggests that standards of living were increasing
what is the overall assessment of wealth in Britain?
it was more prosperous than ever, but wealth was very unevenly spread
what per cent of Britain remained poor
30%
