English Trade Unionism and other Labour Movements before 1790.

The article presents an abstract of a research paper on trade unions in Great Britain. The research paper was presented at the Anglo-American Colloquium held at Birkbeck College in London, England from June 22, 1968 to June 23, 1968. The appeal to precedent and legitimacy need not have been conservative in influence when people consider the origin of trade unions. The tactics of mass intimidation could be successful only with groups massive in numbers: they must have some hope of instant results on specific issues--the yearly bond, resistance to new machines, reduction of prices. Smaller artisan groups could scarcely use such tactics. It is here that social scientists find, with the tailors, felt-makers or hatters, book-binders, printers, artisan textile groups, the first trade union organizations which may be considered in terms of the origins of a later movement. As long as artisan trades remained sufficiently porous to permit apprenticed journey-men to rise to the status of masters, the essential antagonism of interest out of which trade unions must arise was not yet present.