Workers movements 19th century and Workers rights 20th century

Question 1

Friendly societies

Answer 1

Every member contributed each week and drew out money if they hit hard times

Question 2

Trade societies

Answer 2

Specialist craftsmen organised themselves into societies to control quality and prices

Question 3

Luddites

Answer 3

Some weavers destroyed machines that they feared had taken their jobs

Question 4

Grand National Consolidated Trades Union (GNCTU)

Answer 4

Organised by Robert Owen with half a million members of different trades. Failed but worried Government - some workers were forbidden from being a member of a union

Question 5

Tolpuddle Martyrs

Answer 5

Farm workers organised a union when their employers tried to cut their wages but the leaders were arrested for getting their members to take a secret oath of loyalty and were sent to Australia as punishment

Question 6

Impacts of the Tolpuddle Martyrs

Answer 6

200,000 people attended a protest meeting in London and government reversed the decision to punish them.
Long term the treatment of the Martyrs helped the union movement

Question 7

New model unions

Answer 7

Unions for skilled workers

Question 8

New unions

Answer 8

Unions for unskilled workers

Question 9

Match girls strike

Answer 9

Ran the first successful strikes by unskilled workers in 1888

Question 10

Dockers strike

Answer 10

More militant strikes with public support which managed to secure a pay increase

Question 11

Labour party

Answer 11

Workers formed their own political party in 1893

Question 12

General strike (1926)

Answer 12

After the war wages and conditions for coal workers decreased as the industry was privatised. They went on strike supported by many other trades but were defeated by the government who turned public opinion against them and sent the army into essential jobs. Union membership fell drastically

Question 13

Margaret Thatcher

Answer 13

Previous governments had given into unions’ demands in previous decades but the new government took a harder stance and:
Banned flying pickets
Restricted the closed shop (factories were union membership was required)
Money for secret ballots
Fined unions for losses

Question 14

Miners’ Strike (1985)

Answer 14

Government had stockpiled coal in preparation and the miners were not united and many mines kept working - meaning there was minimal effect on infrastructure. Police prevented strikers from picketing open mines. Strikers returned to worker after a year and unionism ultimately never recovered