labour, resistance, the trade union movement and working class organisations Flashcards
factory and farm workers were paid poorly during the industrial revolution. they were also always at risk of becoming unemployed when a new machine was invented that could do their jobs. it was illegal for workers to resist by organizing and working together against their employers
swing riots [ agriculture ]
for thousands of years, farm workers separated the grain from wheat plants by hand. threshing machines were invented in the late 18th century. threshing machines did the work of many men and left farm workers without jobs. farm workers wanted to draw attention to their unemployment. the Swing Riots were protests and resistance by farm labourers that spread all over southern England in 1830. workers destroyed hundreds of threshing machines.
Captain Swing
the leaders of the protests used the name Captain Swing to keep their real names a secret to avoid being arrested. Captain Swing wrote intimidating letters to farmers and other machine owners. the physical attacks on property gave strength to the demands of the farm workers. in the 1830s and 1840s, laws were passed that helped both farm and factory owners.
luddites [ industry ]
the factories cost many of the craft-workers their jobs. a man called Nedd Ludd was well-known among factory workers for breaking machines in a fit of rage in 1779. in 1811, weavers and other workers began destroying factories and machines. these resisters of the factory system became known as Luddites. they blamed Ned Ludd by saying ‘Ned Ludd did it’.
Grand National Consolidated Trades Union [ 1833 ]
workers first rioted and protested against bad working conditions, and then began organizing and working together. the idea of trade unions grew rapidly. at first unions were called Friendly Societies. workers from the same factory or industry came together to save money for times of illness or unemployment. workers also demanded shorter working hours and the end of child labour. the unions united in 1833 when the Grand National Consolidated Trade Union was formed.within a week it had over a million members and the government was alarmed by this new mass labour movement. harsh prison sentences discouraged workers from joining trade unions and Grand National Consolidated Trades Union collapsed. the trade union movement in Britain became very powerful towards the end of the 19th century.
