unionism and cooperation

Question 1

Trade union definition?

Answer 1

individual workers from the same trade or industry binding together as one force

Question 2

Knobstick definition?

Answer 2

workers who refused to strike due to financial reasons

Question 3

Why did the growth of trade unions see a rise in Militancy?

Answer 3

workers were more organised and, having established a strike fund as a part of membership, could afford to resort to militancy

Question 4

When was the combination acts repealed?

Answer 4

1824

Question 5

What was a direct consequence of the combination act repeal?

Answer 5

emergence of a more well-defined trade unionism by the later 1820s and in 1834 a general trades union was established, a high point in the history of the movement.

Question 6

How many members did the grand national have?

Answer 6

over 1 million

Question 7

Which union was the most successful one before 1834?

Answer 7

the grand national

Question 8

Where were the major strikes by cotton spinners, what year?

Answer 8

Lancashire, 1810 and 1818

Question 9

How long did the 1810 strike last?

Answer 9

4 months

Question 10

Which industries did the 1818 strike spread too?

Answer 10

Colliers and machine makers, who threatened a nationwide stoppage

Question 11

How was the 1818 strike brought to an end?

Answer 11

5 members were arrested

Question 12

What would employers use due to the Grand National

Answer 12

the document-which had to be signed workers to state they were not members of a union and could not join one

Question 13

What was a failure of the trade unions?

Answer 13

they were not unified, couldn’t stand up to employees with just one voice. remained varied and independent. only cared about their own trade. poor leadership

Question 14

What else is a reason for failure of the grand national?

Answer 14

The grand national had meagre funds available in spite of its subscription fees (although these were not always paid by members). Of the one million members (which may have been exaggerated), only 16,000 paid fees and this was not enough to support a national organisation and certainly not enough to cover the costs of striking workers.

Question 15

When was the lack of funding first exposed?

Answer 15

first exposed in 1834 when 1500 mill workers in Derby were locked out their place of work for failing to leave their union. Despite lasting for four months (without pay) these mill workers eventually returned to work because they couldn’t survive and weren’t supported enough by the Grand National

Question 16

What was the grand national like by 1835?

Answer 16

The grand by 1835 under the financial burden of having to provide for locked out members and the loss of fees from workers who renounced their membership

Question 17

What was the opinion of the middle class towards the grand national?

Answer 17

The middle classes were often alarmed by the growth of unions and so moved to secure their workplaces against actions by their workers

Question 18

What did the document give the employers?

Answer 18

the Document gave employers the power to sift out trade union members and secure obedience from the rest though the threat of unemployment. This practice was so effective that the Grand National collapsed

Question 19

What was the governments response to trade unions?

Answer 19

Not allowed to join, if you do so, will be “thereof lawfully convicted” “Every man’s labour is property. The cotton spinners had their labour to sell or at least they though so”

Question 20

What was a positive of the failures of the grand national?

Answer 20

the relative failures of unionism before 1834 led to lessons being learned. By 1850, new model unionism emerged as a much more effective form of the union movement

Question 21

Which trade union was the most important and when was this trade union made?

Answer 21

The most important trade union to develop after 1850 was the Amalgamated society of Engineers (ASE) which was founded in 1851

Question 22

How was the Amalgamated society of engineers created?

Answer 22

This was created by joining together three smaller independent unions- the Old Mechanics, the Steam Engine Makers’ Society and the General Smiths- was the beginning of New Model Unionism (NMU)

Question 23

Why was the ASE created?

Answer 23

The ASE was created in reaction to industrialisation and, specifically, the growth of unskilled workers which concerned the skilled workers since there were so many workers available, wages were being forced down.

Question 24

What did the ASE aim to do?

Answer 24

The ASE was created in reaction to industrialisation and, specifically, the growth of unskilled workers which concerned the skilled workers since there were so many workers available, wages were being forced down.

Question 25

Why was the “New Model” unions set up?

Answer 25

The “new model” unions were mostly set up to protect these skilled workers leaving the semi-skilled and unskilled to look after themselves. Some historians have suggested that the growth of NMU, through groups such as ASE, created an “aristocracy of labour” which encouraged resentment between workers; that is those in the unions and those not.

Question 26

Who led the ASE?

Answer 26

William Allan

Question 27

Who was in charge of the ASE?

Answer 27

There was an Executive Council which was formally in charge. The general secretary managed the day-to-day affairs of the union and co-ordinated local branches

Question 28

How did they fund the ASE?

Answer 28

Members of the union had to pay a fee which meant there was often enough to cover striking workers rather than traditional reliance on voluntary donations

Question 29

Was the ASE well funded?

Answer 29

The skilled members of the union were often relatively well paid, and this enabled the ASE to generate considerable incomes- in 1852, this amounted to £12,000 p.a this enabled the union to look after their own members and support other smaller unions

Question 30

How many members did the ASE have?

Answer 30

The ASE had a membership of 12,000 and this was achieved by gaining support from workers across the country (ignoring local boundaries such as towns or even single factories). There were ASE branches across the country from Lancashire to Scotland

Question 31

What was one of the most influential actions of the ASE?

Answer 31

in 1859-60 when London builders went on strike to gain a nine-hour working day. The ASE gave three donations of £1000 to the builders’ strike fund which enabled them to hold out for six months. This forced a compromise from their employers

Question 32

What was a limitation of the New Model union and the new national trade unions?

Answer 32

Individualism which prevented it from acting in 9 tricky united fashion. Small local unions. Still operated only in their trades not generally. Unskilled couldn’t afford it

Question 33

What were the trade councils and why were they created?

Answer 33

A grouping of local trade unions from a given area that met together to promote the interest of their industry within that area, these were often city wide 100,000 members

Question 34

What was the outcome of the Sheffield meeting?

Answer 34

They produced the United Kingdom alliance of organised trades-this collapsed. There was the Sheffield outrage 1866= which was a series of violent actions.

Question 35

Why was the creation of an organisation overseeing unions seen as necessary?

Answer 35

People were stealing from the finds. There had often been disagreements over the manner to see workers’ rights

Question 36

What was significance of the creation of the TUC and what actions did they take from 1868?

Answer 36

Genuinely universal mechanism for organisation of British Labour

Question 37

What did the Trades Union Congress do in 1868?

Answer 37

Trade councils- city wide, grouping of local trade unions from a given geographical area that met together. NMU- New model unionism, paid membership developed larger unions by skilled workers.
Universal union if all trades and British labour skilled and unskilled unions combined, political focus.

Question 38

What was the governments response to new unionism?

Answer 38

Government response to trade unionism before 1850 had been largely negative. The principle of free trade (and their policy of laissez faire) meant they sympathised with employers over workers, because they were generating so much income for the country

Question 39

What changed the governments opinion?

Answer 39

The government began to change its opinion following the development of “new model” union from 1851. This was mainly due to the power of ASE and ASCJ which were on a larger scale than previous, movements and were well financed. Their methods were also more acceptable to the conservative establishment.

Question 40

Who were the leaders of this union?

Answer 40

The leaders of the union, Robert Applegarth (ASCJ) ands William Allan (ASE) believed in negotiation rather than militancy which offered compromise and made them more likely to win over the government and employers

Question 41

What was the governments response to Applegarth and Allan?

Answer 41

The government therefore began granting some limited reforms for workers as a result of their new position

Question 42

Which act gave rights to workers who picketed peacefully during strikes but left the definition of peaceful persuasion’ to the governments careful and conservative reform, conceding some rights but retaining the power to imprison or act forcefully where necessary?

Answer 42

The molestation of Workmen Act, 1859

Question 43

What would union members join to try and extend the franchise?

Answer 43

The Reform League

Question 44

What did the 1867 reform act result in?

Answer 44

resulted in many skilled workers gaining the vote and reflected the work of the NMUs in influencing politics to make significant gains

Question 45

What did the government think of all these trade unions?

Answer 45

Despite government reluctance to accept the new trade unions, those with political ambitions had to listen to them

Question 46

What could workers who couldn’t vote do?

Answer 46

Whilst many workers still couldn’t vote, they could attend the public hustings and have influence over others who could vote. union backing of a candidate could have significant political influence since it could sway the decisions of voters. Employers could win favour by openly voting for a pro-union candidate.