The struggle of the Tolpuddle Martyrs for the right of
combination under the Reform Ministry of 1832 marks the
beginnings of British Trade Unionism. The glamour of romance
which belongs to its origin has contributed to its successful
development as a social institution. Eight years after the
Repeal of the Combination laws, Trade Unionism was deemed an
illegal conspiracy. Today, it is a bulwark of the capitalist
system. Something more than tradition is necessary to explain
this passage from outlawry to respectability. The explanation is
an economic one. Trade Unionism has conquered social power and
commanded influence in so far as it satisfied and arose from the
social necessities of the capitalist epoch. Because it has
answered capitalist needs, the Trade Union has qualified for its
modern position as the sign manual of skilled labour. But the
growth in social and political importance of the Trade Union
leader has not menaced the foundations of capitalist society. He
has been cited more and more as the friend