The tide of democracy

Shipyard workers and social relations in Britain, 18701950

By (author) Alastair Reid

Hardback - £85.00

Publication date:

01 July 2010

Length of book:

376 pages

Publisher

Manchester University Press

Dimensions:

234x156mm

ISBN-13: 9780719081033

This comprehensive study examines British shipbuilding and industrial relations from 1870 to 1950, addressing economic, social and political history to provide an holistic approach to industry, trade-unionism and the early history of the Labour Party.

Examining the impact of new machinery, of independent rank-and-file movements and of craft and trade unions, The Tide of Democracy provides an authoritative account of industrial action in shipyards in the period and their effect on the birth and development of the Labour Party. This volume is clearly presented, elegantly written and suffused with a distinctly human touch which brings the technical material to life. Unique in the combined attention it gives to Scottish and English history, and drawing upon an impressive range of primary sources, this volume will be indispensable for specialist researchers, undergraduates and postgraduate students.

An original and successful blending of labour and political history.