SOCIALISTS

Socialism does not disappear after Owen since it is adopted by the Chartists but not as popular as before.

What remains of their ideals = internationalism, in the form of two orgs:

-1855 the Fraternal Democrats, founded in London (British members and European refugees) after failure of the spring of the people, led by J. Harney (?)

-1864 the International Workingmen’s Association (AIT: association internationale des travailleurs, aka la première internationale), founded in London, Karl Marx one of its spokesmen à most of its founders were also leaders of the NMU.

Trade unionists in these socialist bodies bc a lot of those leaders, however moderate in their approach, also believed in emancipation of the working class à workers should organise and fight for their rights. They also believed in need for international solidarity. Big strikes in London often broken by employers hiring foreign strike-breakers (the “blacklegs”) à to preserve workers’ rights and prevent strike-breaking, you needed foreign workers to unite with you, thus forming a cross-borders federation.

This collab between NMU/trade unionists with socialists lasted until 1871: broken then bc of the Paris Commune (Commune de Paris from March to May 1871) à 20 000 ppl killed in just one week à a lot of French social activists sought asylum in London, welcomed by socialists but others did not want to associate with revolutionaries bc it went against their strategies (NMU) à “junta” = the generals at the head of big unions, who refused to be associated with communards and the socialist label.

After: the headquarters of the NMU severed links with foreign revolutionaries, focus on how to gain concrete material advantages in GB through constitutional means à turned towards the two big parties and tried to influence them è the Lib-Lab (liberals, labour) alliance. 1867: electoral reform, double the size of the electorate, including more skilled workers. The alliance: leaders of unions needed allies in parliament for social legislations (changes from within), and at the same time the liberals wanted to win elections and convince the new voters. Results:

-1871 a liberal gov adopted the Trade Union Act à more protection for trade unions, esp in case of a strike à more legal protection in the case of a strike.

-In 1870s for first time 2 trade unionists elected as MPs à Thomas Burt and Alexander Macdonald, miners elected as liberal MPs.

-1886: Henry Broadhurst à trade unionist and lib-lab politician becomes an under-secretary of state in a labour gov.

NMU hoping for arbitration (when conflict employers/workers, state should intervene and send a mediator) and conciliation (forums of discussion created), but limitations to that progress.

Those new moderate constitutional methods not so convincing: skilled workers affected first and left unskilled workers behind (dockers, seamen, factory workers) à wages still very low and employment very irregular. Other limitation: women workers still left out very often, few female trade unionists, some unions did not accept women. Also the institutionalisation of conciliation and arbitration could be a trap, even for skilled workers: sometimes in the agreements signed between unions/employers it said wage cuts ok during a recession, so some agreements that seemed fruitful at first were not during recessions.

CONCL: after 19^th c, change in eco background with growing competition from other industrialising countries (Belgian, German, French, US industries) à British employers putting more pressure on their workers, more skilled workers realised that if they do not include unskilled workers in their unions they would lose. With crisis of 1873: capitalism seems to be in crisis, the trickle-down vision not so plausible. Alliance with libs was questioned, even for moderate trade unionists: idea that workers need a working-class party.