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Holford, J.A.K.

English

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Consciousness, organisation, and the growth of labour: Edinburgh 1917-1927  A study in political and industrial motivation

Existing accounts of the development of labour in Britain during
the Great War and the following decade are problematical in
several respects. Some of these problems may be overcome by
specifying more precisely the relationship between class unconsciousness
and political action; Gramsci's notion of 'contradictory
consciousness' provides a basis for a theory of political motivation,
stressing the fragmentary nature of consciousness. Other
problems can be. surmounted by shifting the focus of research from
national to local institutions and processes. A study of the
development of-the labour movement in Edinburgh, grounded-in the
above theory, allows*an argument to be developed as follows.

Advances by the working class movement during and, just after
the war were based in part on changes in economic, social, and
political structures, which increased the relative strength of
resources available to the movement. But-fundamental to the
advances, and especially to their character, was a shift in the
language by which action could be motivated. The terminology of
'nationalism' became more open to use in the working class interest;
notions such as 'organisation' and 'efficiency' found their
meanings increasingly within a national, rather than in a market,
context; the importance of planning lent legitimacy to some
versions of socialism.

Important reorganisation of the local labour movement (1918-
1921) was made possible by the strength and breadth of this language
within the movement.. But the language also influenced strongly
the nature of the reorganisation achieved (in particular, it was
based on 'mechanistic' images of organisation), and this had lasting
effects.

From late 1920 economic factors shifted the balance of
power in industry away from labour. Shifts also occurred in the
language of motivation. These increased employers' ability to
act in their own interests, whilst reducing workers' ability to
defend themselves through industrial action. Unions responded
through propaganda and, when this failed to ensure membership
commitment, through tighter organisational discipline. At the
same time, -the basis of industrial action as a political strategy
was eroded, weakening the Marxist element ofthe movement: this
now became. influential only in periods of heightened militancy
(e.g., 1926).

From about 1921 onward, labour politics were increasingly
directed by an informal alliance of economistic ('labourist') trade
unionism and reformist socialist ('Labour Socialist') politics.
Helped by the weakening of Marxist influence, this was based on
two central principles: a clear distinction between industrial
and political action, and a definition of the latter in electoral parliamentary
terms. Electoral politics offered not only an
apparently viable strategy to power, but also one which did not
ask unions to jeopardise their fragile industrial position. In
addition, it permit'ted the creation of institutions (especially
the Labour Party) which wre relatively stable: something Marxist
strategies could not achieve.

The thesis is divided into four parts. The first criticises
various'accounts of the development of the labour movement in
this period, and outlines the alternative theory. In part II
aspects of Edinburgh's social and industrial structure are
explored, shewing inter alia that while the working class was
highly fragmented, this was reduced in certain respects. Part III
concerns labour's industrial strength: some accounts of capitalist
development are criticised; work and union organisation in
four industries is explored; variations in union strength are
explained. Finally, the development of labour's political
alliances and institutions is discussed

Edinburgh Research Archive

Consciousness, organisation, and the growth of labour: Edinburgh, 1917-1927 - a study in political and industrial motivation

https://era.ed.ac.uk/bitstream/1842/7143/1/347942.pdf

Consciousness, organisation, and the growth of labour: Edinburgh 1917-1927 : A study in political and industrial motivation.

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