The Condition of the Working Class in England · Chapter
Labour Movements explained
This chapter examines the various forms of working-class resistance against the bourgeoisie in England.
What happens
This chapter examines the various forms of working-class resistance against the bourgeoisie in England. It traces the evolution of protest from crime to machine-breaking, then to the formation of trade unions and strikes. Engels argues that these movements are a necessary response to the brutalizing conditions of capitalism and the bourgeoisie's treatment of workers as chattel. He highlights the significance of trade unions as the first attempt to abolish competition among workers, which strikes at the very foundation of bourgeois power. The chapter also discusses the courage of English workers, comparing their peaceful but determined resistance to the more political struggles of the French.
Themes in this chapter
Class Conflict & The Social War
The chapter frames the relationship between workers and bourgeoisie as an open 'social war,' where the workers' rebellion is a direct response to their exploitation and the hypocrisy of the ruling class.
Evolution of Worker Resistance
Traces the progression of protest from individual crime to machine-breaking, and finally to the organized collective action of trade unions and strikes.
Exploitation and the Chattel Status of Labor
Highlights how the bourgeoisie treats workers as property, and how trade unions challenge this by attempting to abolish competition among workers, which is the basis of bourgeois supremacy.
Bourgeois Hypocrisy and Wrath
Exposes the hypocrisy of the bourgeoisie who conduct the social war under a disguise of peace and philanthropy, while expressing wrath against unions and blaming agitators for worker unrest.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The narrator analyzes the motivations and evolution of the English labour movement, from crime to trade unions.
- The English
Described as practical people who express their protest through action rather than theory, and whose workers are noted for their courage and determination.
- The Masters
The bourgeoisie are depicted as the avowed enemy of the workers, defending their interests with the power of wealth and the state.
- Dr. Andrew Ure
Cited as an example of a bourgeois authority who, despite proving machinery's benefits, expresses wrath against trade unions.
- Mr. Ashworth
A manufacturer mentioned as one of the 'wise bourgeois' who trace labour movements to the influence of agitators.
- The Irish
Their 'hot Irish blood' is noted as contributing to the passionate nature of the English working-class protest.
- The Chartists
The Chartist movement is referenced in the context of the 1842 universal turnout for the Charter.
Key passages
“The revolt of the workers began soon after the first industrial development, and has passed through several phases.”
Workers' rebellion started shortly after industrialization and evolved through different stages.
Introduces the historical progression of labour movements.
“The earliest, crudest, and least fruitful form of this rebellion was that of crime.”
The first and most basic form of protest was criminal activity, like theft.
Describes the initial, individualistic form of resistance.
“As a class, they first manifested opposition to the bourgeoisie when they resisted the introduction of machinery at the very beginning of the industrial period.”
The first collective opposition from workers was against the introduction of new machinery.
Marks the transition from individual crime to class-based action.
“But what gives these Unions and the strikes arising from them their real importance is this, that they are the first attempt of the workers to abolish competition.”
The true significance of unions and strikes is that they represent the first effort by workers to end competition among themselves.
Identifies the core threat of unions to the capitalist system.
“They are the military school of the workingmen in which they prepare themselves for the great struggle which cannot be avoided.”
Strikes serve as a training ground for workers to prepare for the inevitable major conflict with the bourgeoisie.
Describes the role of strikes in preparing the working class for revolution.
