The Labour Movement: a Wider View

Abstract

Trade unions did not exist in isolation. They formed part of a wider ‘labour’ movement, coexisting with a range of organisations sharing common objectives. Between 1880 and 1925 some of these bodies, such as the Independent Labour Party, were purely political, seeking to promote the election of ‘working class’ representatives. Socialist groups sought to spread their belief in a new social order in an evangelical manner rather than simply gaining political representation. Others sought to redress specific problems within society, for example, pacifists, suffragettes and temperance campaigners. Finally there was the vast Co-operative movement which formed such a feature of contemporary ‘working class’ identity.