Lancashire Cotton Operatives and Work, 1900-1950

In this study, Alan Fowler takes an in-depth look at the Lancashire cotton industry in the first half of the twentieth century through the prism of its workers, their families and organisations. It is their experiences above all that illuminate the history of the cotton industry, and how it came to change the face of Britain through the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Crucial to the history of the Lancashire cotton operatives were the collective organisations they established...
More Description

In this study, Alan Fowler takes an in-depth look at the Lancashire cotton industry in the first half of the twentieth century through the prism of its workers, their families and organisations. It is their experiences above all that illuminate the history of the cotton industry, and how it came to change the face of Britain through the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Crucial to the history of the Lancashire cotton operatives were the collective organisations they established which forced employers and government to treat with them. By the beginning of the twentieth century these organisations had managed to raise wages, improve working conditions, reduce working hours, establish the right to holidays, and force the introduction of factory legislation. This book explores how these victories were won and the impact they had on the industry and wider society.