Working Class Self-Help in Nineteenth Century England: Responses to Industrialization

This is a survey of the three major forms of working-class self-help in the 19th-century: the trade unions, the friendly societies and the co- operative movement. It shows how these forms of self-help developed very largely in response to the challenge of industrialization and the demands of urban industrial life - workers sought protection againts employers in their place of work, tried to safeguard themselves against the threat of sickness in the new industrial towns and attempted to provide for their own community needs through co-operative enterprises. The strengths and limitations of self-help approaches are assessed and the wider issues of working class culture and identity are examined.