Friendly Societies and Cooperatives Flashcards
What impact did Robert Owens ideas have and what were they?
Caused others to look for similar schemes, ideas of communality and self-improvement
Why did these efforts gain popularity?
Declining economic climate of 1815
What happened by 1829?
Cooperation enjoyed a steady growth and manifested itself into the form of cooperative stores
What was the impact of cooperative stores?
By 1832 there were 500 stores in Britain
What did these stores do?
Share their profits with their customers
Why were Cooperative stores appealing?
Gave ordinary people control over their lives in a world of exploitation, allowed them to feel a part of a community
What did they do when grouping together?
Pooled their resources so customers could buy quality goods at fair prices
What was a problem with Cooperatives?
Struggled due to the lack of business sense and/or inability to attract new members
What was the benefit for customers economically?
Modest improvements in individual wealth across a large proportion of society
What was the benefit for businesses?
Businesses would retain and grow its customer base which would then enhance further profit for those customers
What was the ideology of cooperatives based on?
There was no benefit for ordinary working people to shop in traditional stores as the wealth generated only enriches the owner
How did the Cooperative movement grow?
More than 1000 stores by 1850s, and by 1870s had amassed property worth in excess of £300,000
What were Friendly Societies?
An organisation that came together to provide assistance and benefits for each other
What were government opinions on friendly societies?
Seemed to exhibit some of the traits of French Radicalism, so sought to regulate activities of Friendly Societies
When was the First Friendly Societies Act and what did it do?
1793, Made Friendly societies required to register themselves with local JPs and send reports of their activities every 3 months
