Unionism and Co-operation

Question 1

Who made up early trade societies?

Answer 1

Skilled tradesmen (cobblers’ printers, and mechanics)

Question 2

What were the aims of early trade societies?

Answer 2

Protect their trade and bargaining hand as industrial workers grew in number

Question 3

What early trade society had success in 1793?

Answer 3

London printers- 539 signed petition calling for raise to match living costs (successful)

Question 4

What were knobsticks?

Answer 4

Workers who continued to work during a strike (often Irish immigrants)- were verbally and physically attacked

Question 5

How did the factory system influence the growth of trade societies?

Answer 5

Increased demand for workers
Gave workers sense of importance and value to employers
Lots of workers- feelings of unity
Threatened artisan workers (who band together)

Question 6

How did lack of government interference influence the growth of trade societies?

Answer 6

Entrepreneurs and business owners controlled business on their own- exploitation of workers- needed to band together for protection

Question 7

How did war with France influence the growth of trade societies?

Answer 7

Promoted a more universal approach to worker rights

Food prices increased (calls for higher wages)

Question 8

What were the features of early trade societies?

Answer 8

Small and local, skilled tradesmen

Question 9

Why were early trade societies ineffective?

Answer 9

Knobsticks- men didn’t strike and were attacked for not striking
Strike funding inept
Always people to hire in place of strikers (eg Irish immigrants)

Question 10

How did population grow between 1750-1850?

Answer 10

From 6 million to 17.5 million

Question 11

Which trade unions were set up in 1818?

Answer 11

London- Philanthropic Hercules

Lancashire- Philanthropic Society

Question 12

Why did the philanthropic trade unions only last one year?

Answer 12

Had no central groups for organisation

Question 13

Which trade unions did John Doherty setup?

Answer 13

1829- Grand General Union of Operative Spinners in Great Britain and Ireland
1830- National Association for the Protection of Labour

Question 14

What were the strikes in Lancashire, and how were they successful?

Answer 14

1810 4 months (spinners) 1818 (spinners and weavers as well as clliers and machine makers)
Showed trades coming together (led to 5 arrests)

Question 15

When was the Gran National Consolidated Trades Union (GNCTU) set up? How long did it last?

Answer 15

1834- 1 year

Question 16

How was the GNCTU successful?

Answer 16

It had 1 million members of a variety of trades

Question 17

How was the GNCTU a failure?

Answer 17

Only 16% (16,000) paid the membership fee (funding bad- when 1500 mill workers tried to strike, they lasted 4 months before renouncing union and giving up); led to introduction of the Document by employers; only lasted 1 year

Question 18

What was the Document?

Answer 18

Employers used it so workers agreed not to partake in a union or they would lose their job

Question 19

How did the government respond to the growth of trade societies?

Answer 19

Combination Acts
1799- sped up judicial process, 3 month prison sentence for union members
1800- allowed appeals in local court sessions, negotiations in wage disputes

Question 20

Why were the Combination Acts repealed in 1824?

Answer 20

No longer threat from events in France
Acts failed- unions still around
Some wanted to encourage expression of workers
Economic prosperity (food prices 1/3 lower, GDP higher by 16.8%)

Question 21

Why did Wigan weavers form an association in 1799?

Answer 21

Increasing living costs, wanted to stop wage reductions

Question 22

How successful were the Wigan weavers?

Answer 22

They had 14 branches in Lancashire and actually put pressure on the government

Question 23

What was the Master and Servant Act?

Answer 23

An attempt to stop trade unions- made breaking a contract punishable with imprisonment- included striking

Question 24

How much impact did the Master and Servant Act have?

Answer 24

On average there were 10,000 prosecutions a year