Skill and the English Working Class, 1870–1914

First published in 1980, Skill and the English Working Class, 1870–1914 investigates the nature of work and the significance of skill in industrial manual labour during late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Britain.

First published in 1980, Skill and the English Working Class, 1870–1914 investigates the nature of work and the significance of skill in industrial manual labour during late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Britain. The book places particular emphasis on apprenticeship while also examining industries like steelmaking, which required skill but did not employ apprentices. Additionally, it investigates the role of technical education in shaping the workforce during this period.

Traditionally, labour history has focused on the organization of work and offered only a limited perspective on the division between skilled and unskilled labour. By concentrating on skill and its acquisition, this volume broadens the understanding of labour relations in the late nineteenth century and contextualizes the dynamics between craft unions and non-craft unions.

The book critically challenges the notion that industrial capitalism inevitably leads to the ‘deskilling’ of the labour force. It argues that while some occupations during this era required less skill, others demanded increasingly specialized expertise. The final chapter explores the implications of these findings for the concept of the ‘labour aristocracy’, suggesting that shifts in the status of skilled workers within the working class were partly driven by changes in skill acquisition methods. Drawing on previously unused archival and autobiographical material, this work serves as a valuable resource for students and researchers in economic history and sociology.

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