CHAPTER 15 THE WORKING CLASS AND SOCIALIST REVIVAL

1) WHAT WERE THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES IN THE FALL OF THE COST OF FOOD?
For the families of unskilled manual workers lower prices of food made a
dramatic impact on weekly budgets. For the first time the benefits of the
abolition of the Corn Laws began to be felt. The price of bread had fallen,
as a result, the poorest families simply bought more bread but many
were now able to divert some of their expenditure on bread to other
items of consumptions. The extra purchasing power enjoyed by working
class families also stimulated the production of a range of cheap
consumer goods such as soap, jam, newspaper and bicycles. On the
other hand these developments proved to be problematical in the long
term, they left Britain dependent upon imported food, 2/3 of the grain
came from abroad, this meant that naval dominance should be under
danger due to the enemys attack.
2) HOW IMPORTANT WAS THE ROLE OF TRADE UNIONS IN THE LATE 19 TH C?
Many workers remained close to their employers and saw less need to
form trade unions. The availability of surplus labour undermined the
unions efforts, they felt handicapped in industries such as cotton
textiles in which large numbers of women were employed, since they
were willing to work for lower wages than men, the unions felt that the
owners deliberately used them to hold down the general level of pay. As
a result of these problems union organization became sectional,
concentrated in certain skilled crafts, although two groups, the miners
and the cotton workers did manage to build a substantial membership.
The craft unions charged high membership fees, which enables them to
offer friendly society benefits to members, these included sickness and
injury payments and treatment by a doctor.
3) WHY WAS TRADE UNIONISM SO SLOW TO DEVELOP?
The British trade union movement was slow to develop a distinctive
ideology and showed little interest in Marxist ideas. They supported free
trade. There was little popular demand for state intervention, in fact
almost opposite, for the workers often regarded state institutions, such
as the poor law and compulsory education, with fear and suspicion, while
social workers, doctors and reformers were disliked for criticizing the
lifestyle of poor people.
4) WHAT IS THE TRADES UNION CONGRESS?
By 1868 the unions had organized themselves as groups of trade unions,
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) which tried to defend its members
interests nationally be seeking the help of politicians and legislation.
5) WHAT POLITICAL LINE DID THE FIRST ELECTORAL WORKING MEN TAKE IN 1874?
The most striking advance came in 1874 when the first two working men
were elected to the House of Commons. After the 1867 some
constituencies were dominated by coal miners and there the local Liberal
Associations were persuaded to support the nomination of officials of the

Miners Federation who enjoyed a straight contest against Conservative

candidates.
6) WHICH FEATURES CONTRIBUTED TO THE UNDERMINING TRADIONAL CAPITALISTS DOCTRINES?
The revelations about poverty and the evidence of Britains manufacturing
decline undermined their faith in the capitalist system and the laissez-faire
approach of governments.
7) OUTLINE THE MAIN IDEAS OF THE INDEPENDENT LABOUR PARTY. WHAT KIND OF INFLUENCES DID
THE PARTY ORIGINALLY HAD?
Radical, was the most prosperous section of the working class. It was not
Marxist. They believed in free trade. Decline in the manufacturing
process, it was not very successful.
8) WHAT WAS THE ORIGINS OF THE LABOUR PARTY?
By 1899 the ILP and some of the trade unions had decided to launch a
new organization for the working class. The delegates at the TUC voted
to create the Labour Representation Committee (LRC) and adopted the
name The Labour Party in 1906. Its programme reflected much
common ground with Liberalism free trade, land reform, graduate
taxation, poor law reform, and old age pensions.