How far do you agree that the creation of the Trades Union Congress owed more to NMU than the earlier trades union movements? Flashcards
Who led the ASE?
William Allan
What did the leadership of the ASE mean?
This meant that there was a clear structure and leadership, ensuring proper presentation, and a formula that could be transferred to the TUC. It also gave an ordered approach which made the transition easier.
What was the membership of the ASE?
12 000
Where did the ASE have branches?
Across Northern England and Scotland
What did the nationwide approach to unionism show?
This nationwide approach showed that unionism could work on a large scale, helping to create the idea that large scale unionism was the successful way forward, it is also much more similar to the TUC in size which had more than 1 million members.
Who were the two creators of the TUC?
George Potter and William Dronfield
How can the ASE’s approach be described?
Moderate
In old model unions who were the main people represented?
Skilled Workers
How did the old model unions meet?
In pubs
What purpose did the earlier trade unions really serve?
Labour exchanges
Who led the Tollpuddle Martyrs
George Loveless
How many people signed a petition to protest against the punishment of the Tollpuddle Martyrs
800 000
What was a big element of Charitsm’s failure?
Its violence
Give two examples of Chartist violence
Newport rising 1839 and the plug riots where 500 000 people went on strike
What are the 5 factors and the four paragraphs?
1) NMUs
2) Early Generla Trades Unions
3) Trade councils
4) Early Trade unions
5) trade societies
Combine early trades unions and trade councils into one
How did NMU begin?
The foundation of the ASE in 1851
What are the two NMUs to talk about?
ASE and ASCJ
What did the ASE adopt to ensure maintained organisation?
a rigid administrative system to ensure maintained organisation
What did the ASE’s moderate approach to employer employee relations mean?
that its large size instead became a virtue
What does the comparison between the Grand national and the ASE demonstrate that the TUC may learn from?
That large size is not inherently a problem as it was in the 1830s
How did the ASE support striking builders, when was this and what was the outcome?
Striking builders in London between 1859 and 1860 was supported by three donations of £1000 pounds by the ASE, allowing them to hold out for 6 months and, crucially, form an agreement with their employers.
When was the ASCJ founded and who was the person that led it from when?
1860 founded led by Robert Appelgarth from 1862
Between which dates was Appelgarth at the ASCJ?
1862-67
During his period in office between 1862-67, what membership increase did Appelgarth oversee?
1,000 to 10,000 in eight years
What are the two general trades union attempt made in 1818 and what happened to them?
they both failed
Philanthropic Hercules (London)
Philanthropic Society Lancashire
What two more general unions were more successful than the 1818 attempts?
John Doherty’s 1829 Grand General Union of Operative Spinners of GB and Ireland and the National Association for the Protection of Labour.
Assess john doherty’s 1829 Grand general union of Operative spinners and is national association for the protection of Labour?
Though neither lasted for more than two years, they represented a growing determination to organise trades unions along broader lines, a move that cannot help but draw parallels to the TUC.
Between which two dates did the grand national operate?
1834-35
Who started the grand national?
Owen
What was the membership of the grand national?
half a million in its first week and 1 million peak
How did the TUC relate to the grand national?
It could be said that the TUC was born out of the ashes of the failure of General Unions, giving a legacy upon which they sought to build
Which factor can be considered to be the trigger cause for the TUC?
Trades Councils
when was the london trades council formed?
1860
Where was the london trades council’s HQ?
Bell inn
In the absence of such a body, who did the London trades council seek to represent?
Working class people across different professions in London
How did the dominance of the NMUs in the Trades Societies help to cause the TUC?
They became frustrated with the more conservative approach to militancy that the larger unions had
What was the consequence of this frustration?
attempts to organise a more universal body that actually reflected the views of all trade unions rather than simply the biggest.
Who made attempts to organise a more universal body that actually reflected the views of all trade unions rather than simply the biggest?
George Potter
George Potters attempts to organise a more universal body that actually reflected the views of all trade unions rather than simply the biggest did not impress who?
Junta - the leading members of the London Trades Council who dominated its activities - of William Allan of the ASE, Robert Applegrarth from the ASCJ and Charles Coulson of the Bricklayers.
Which historian labelled the leading members of the London Trades Council who dominated its activities - of William Allan of the ASE, Robert Applegrarth from the ASCJ and Charles Coulson of the Bricklayers the Junta?
Sidney Web
George Potter’s wishes led directly to what?
It was this that directly led the Sheffield meeting, arranged by Dronfield, in 1866 which produced the UK Alliance for Organised Trades promising to bind unions in mutual support
What happened to Dronfield’s sheffield meeting ?
collapsed in 1867 due to lack of finance
What was the impact of Dronfield’s sheffield meeting?
These efforts led Samuel Nicholson, president of the Manchester and Salford Trades council to invite the convening of a general trades congress to discuss union issues in June 1868.
Whose ultimate actions led to the formation of the TUC in June 1868?
Samuel Nicholson
How many delegates were at the June 1868 first TUC?
38 delegates representing 118 000 members of unions big and small
The growth of early organisations led to the repeal of the what in 1824, which provided the platform for much union growth afterwards.
Combination acts
What did the early unions bear much less similarity to than did later unions?
The TUC
What kind of techniques did the early unions use which did not resemble the inclusive techniques of the TUC?
closed shop techniques
give a judgement for early unions ?
Though they overcame the inertia that allowed unionism to grow to a place where a TUC could be formed, they were the very embodiment of the lack of inclusiveness which the TUC was trying to change
Finish the sentence: Skilled workers were primarily the only ones represented in the old societies and they acted
more as labour exchanges than the representative functions of later unions
Finish the sentence: Whilst the ASE and other NMUs provided a very successful framework for large scale trade unionism they themselves were
building on widespread mass representation moments such as guilds and unions.
Furthermore NMUs were far closer in what to the Trade Unions Congress than any earlier union was?
style
How was the TUC more similar to NMUs than it was to any other union?
peaceful and respectful, though more inclusive than were the NMUs
