Key Concepts of 19th Century Labor Movements and Socialism
Key Concepts of 19th Century Labor Movements
Self-Management
A business model conducted by the workers themselves, either directly or through elected representatives.
Chartism
A movement that presented a series of political demands to the Westminster Parliament in 1838. Key requirements included universal male suffrage, annual elections, constituency reform, the secret ballot, and payment for Members of Parliament.
Social Class
A term used since the early 19th century to describe different social groups differentiated by their living conditions and socioeconomic status.
Combination Laws
A set of rules approved by the British Parliament in 1791 that banned workers' associations. These laws identified such groups as "bands of rebels" and punished the destruction of machines with the death penalty.
Dictatorship of the Proletariat
As defined by Marx, this is the necessary transitional phase between the communist revolution and a classless society, during which the working class removes the final vestiges of the bourgeois regime.
Phalansteries
Agricultural and industrial colonies organized as cooperatives where individuals were free to choose and change jobs. These were not governed by democratic criteria and allowed for private ownership.
Strike
A demonstration of force by workers paralyzing factory output. It has served as the primary weapon through which workers attempt to convince employers to meet their demands.
Lumpenproletariat
A term of Marxist origin designating the population socially situated below the proletariat in terms of working conditions and quality of life.
Mihail Bakunin (1814–1876)
A Russian aristocrat and founder of contemporary anarchism. For him, the highest value was human freedom, founded on the common good achieved through the socialization of the means of production and wealth.
Surplus Value
A Marxist concept whereby a portion of the value produced by workers is retained by the capitalist.
Proletariat
In Marxist theory, the class that possesses no ownership of the means of production. Consequently, the only source of income for proletarians is the sale of their labor power.
Robert Owen (1771–1858)
One of the earliest precursors of socialist doctrines. Influenced by Rousseau and Enlightenment philosophers, he implemented reforms including children's education, reduced working hours, higher wages, and incentive systems.
Trade Unions
The first genuine union organizations, established in England in 1825 following the repeal of anti-association laws. They represented the organization of workers based on their specific crafts.