Britain Booklet 4

Question 1

What is a trade union?

Answer 1

An organised group of workers who look out for workers’ rights, ensuring they are treated and paid fairly

Question 2

What was a knobstick?

Answer 2

Local workers (often immigrants) who refused to strike angering other workers and replacing them while they striked

Question 3

I’m what year was a general trades union established?

Answer 3

1834

Question 4

How many members did the grand national have by 1834?

Answer 4

1 million

Question 5

What was ‘the document’ used by employers?

Answer 5

Had to be signed by workers to state they were not members of a union and wouldn’t join one

Question 6

Of the one million grand national members, how many actually paid fees?

Answer 6

16000

Question 7

What happened in Derby in 1834 to 1500 mill workers?

Answer 7

Locked out of their workplace for failing to leave their union
Lasted 4 months without pay but eventually had to work because the grand national couldn’t support them financially

Question 8

What did the combination act of 1800 do?

Answer 8

Banned any workers at any level from being part of a trade union, anyone guilty of this would be punished with 3 months in jail or 2 months hard labour

Question 9

When were the combination acts finally repealed by a more open-minded government?

Answer 9

1824

Question 10

As workers lives improved things got better in society.
After 1820 how much lower we’re food prices and what happened to GNP?

Answer 10

1/3 lower than the last decade
Rose by 16.8%

Question 11

What happened in the case of the tolpuddle martyrs?

Answer 11

6 rural labourers formed a union to request a increase from 7-10 shillings
The master had them trialled and they were sentenced in 17 March 1834 to 7 years transportation in Australia

Question 12

What happened in the backlash of the tolpuddle martyrs?

Answer 12

The story hit the press and attracted the public
21 April 1834, 100 000 workers demonstrated in London Copenhagen fields
The 6 were granted pardons on March 14 1836

Question 13

When was the amalgamated society of engineers founded

Answer 13

1851

Question 14

Who led the ASE?

Answer 14

William Allan

Question 15

What was the aim of the ASE?

Answer 15

To protect skilled workers

Question 16

What was the most influential action by the ASE?

Answer 16

1859-60, when London builders striked for a 9 hour day
ASE gave 3 donations of £1000 so they held out for 6 months and forced a compromise from their employers

Question 17

What was the significance of the ASE?

Answer 17

Changed the structure of unions around the country to become much larger and national organisations in a more organised manner for success

Question 18

Who copied the ASE?

Answer 18

The ASCJ took up the same new model of union as the ASE and were too very successful

Question 19

By 1874 how many workers had joined a trade union?

Answer 19

Over 1m

Question 20

When was the trade union Congress first meeting and how many attended?

Answer 20

June 1868
34

Question 21

Who created the TUC and why?

Answer 21

George potter and William dronfield
To bring together unions regardless of trade and make workers heard in a less cautious way

Question 22

What was the government response to new unionism?

Answer 22

Much more positive as it was much more respectable and so the legal system became increasingly aware and fair towards workers

Question 23

How long was the working day made by Robert Owen at his co op in new Lanark in 1800?

Answer 23

Shortened to 12h with a 1.5h break for food

Question 24

What did Owen introduce instead of punishments?

Answer 24

Incentives
E.g. the ‘silent monitor’

Question 25

Robert Owen influences others to follow suit.
Who and when set up the newspaper ‘the co-operator’?

Answer 25

William king in 1827 with wide readership to circulate the ideas

Question 26

By 1832 how many co-ops were in Britain?

Answer 26

500

Question 27

What % of the Rochdale pioneers profits went towards education?

Answer 27

2.5%

Question 28

When was the Rochdale co-op set up and by how many men?

Answer 28

1844 by 28 men, setting a template for more future co-ops

Question 29

What was the impact of the pioneers and co-ops?

Answer 29

Long - term impact, unsuccessful to begin due to lack of experience and ways to make profit too but as time went on the structure improved and organisation worked well.

Question 30

How were trade societies different to trade unions and co-ops?

Answer 30

Less radical
Made legal
Don’t challenge but also don’t ignore gov
Last longer

Question 31

By 1803 what % of the population were members of a friendly society?

Answer 31

8%

Question 32

By 1815, what fraction of society did friendly societies provide insurance for?

Answer 32

1/3

Question 33

When was the first friendly societies act?

Answer 33

1793

Question 34

When was the friendly societies act modified and why?

Answer 34

1855
To protect the funds as the membership had reached millions and the gov recognised the importance of these respectable groups (unlike the bad name of trade unions) to gain votes

Question 35

By 1870 how did friendly society membership outnumber trade unions

Answer 35

4 to 1

Question 36

What was a drawback of friendly societies?

Answer 36

Some poorer or seasonal workers couldn’t afford subscription fees

Question 37

How did unions, co-ops and friendly societies have an impact on different ways?

Answer 37

Long - term: unions gathered support over time and eventually was legalised to have maximum effect.
Short-term: friendly societies always legal so always could have some impact although often too cautious.
Co-ops involved whole community , yet never challenged government only lived under them by ignoring them which reduced their political significance