|A beginner's guide to the history of British trade unions|
|Miscellany - Miscellany| AN ILLUSTRATED BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO THE
BRITISH TRADE UNION AND WORKING CLASS MOVEMENTS A short and very
personal illustrated history of the British trade union
movement. (this work began as a series of slides for talks to
schools in 1980) Organisations to defend the rights of paid
workers, usually set up just for one-off problems, are very old
indeed. But it was not until the development of modern
capitalism that increasingly larger numbers of people became
employees. Now the overwhelming majority of people in Britain
are paid workers. Despite many setbacks in recent years, the
unions are still the largest voluntary body in society and their
influence in bringing about a better life and a more respectful
attitude to working people has been huge. The effect of what is
usually called the Industrial Revolution on the people of
Britain was dramatic. Millions were forced off the land and
herded into cities to form the workforce i