Industrial Capitalism and Early Unionism, 1850-1880
Summary of Articles
The first article entitled “The Honest Workingman and Workers’ Control…” specifies the power and the role of skilled workers during the nineteenth century. The author explained in the article that during this period, skilled workers possess the right and the power to dictate and to influence the nature of their work in all its aspects, including recruitment, wages, training, use of machines, and in the work itself. In this regard, skilled workers are referred to as “autonomous workers” who have significant control over the quantity and quality of their work and their product (, 1904). In the long run, due to the results of the workers’ actions, they have decided to cooperate and to function under the governance of unions.
The second article is entitled, “Joe Beef of Montreal”, which describes the significant role played by Joe Beef or Charles McKierman in the live of labouring men of Montreal. The tavern was a significant element in this article, as it shows the connection between drinking and the working life of the labouring class during that time. In addition, this article was also successful in showing and depicting the difference between the lives of middle class and the working class men. In the previous article, it has been mentioned that in the long run, the skilled workers cooperated with labour unions to be able to govern their working conditions. Similarly, Joe Beef and his tavern were also able to reinforce mutual responsibility in both the skilled and unskilled workers (, 1981-82) during that time through a culture that helped unify the working class.
The third article entitled, “After the Fur Trade”, emphasizes the significant roles the aborigines played in the development of capitalism in British Columbia. The article depicts the interest of the aborigines with the wage-labour economy during that time, which is related to the concept of the “potlatch” system of the aborigines. Potlatch, as defined by (1992), refers to the different ceremonies among the aborigines that included feasting, dancing, and giving of gifts to all in attendance, and through this ceremony, the hereditary status and rights to resources of a particular family or individual are maintained. The aborigines have observed that members of tribes participating in the wage-labour economy, including the fur trade are able to obtain objects and wages that somehow determine their status in the tribe. In one way or another, the capitalists during that time was able to benefit from the situation, as they are encouraging more aborigines to work for their factories, such as sawmills and canneries. This article was also successful in informing its readers of the advanced skills of the aborigines, who are able to combine seasonal wage labour with economic cycles. Moreover, the article was also able to emphasize the gender roles of aborigines, which is characterized by division of labour. In terms of wage-labour, both men and women work for factories, along with other individuals from other nations.
Comparison and Contrast of the Arguments
Although the three articles tackled topics related to industrial capitalism and labour unions, each of the articles has separate topics and issues to emphasize. Both the first and second article talked about the rights of workers during that period. However, the first article emphasized the powers of skilled workers over their work and their productivity, while the second article emphasized the unequal rights and privileges skilled and unskilled workers obtain from their work. However, despite this difference, three similarities can be detected. First similarity of the two articles is the emphasis on unification of principles, where in the first article, the power of the skilled workers was tamed by the unions, which enabled them to follow the rules, while in the second article, a single man, Joe Beef, was able to unify both the skilled and unskilled workers through the concept of mutual responsibility. Second similarity of the two articles is the emphasis on the male workforce, disregarding the women who participated in the wage-labour economy. Both the articles stressed that the majority of the working class during that time are comprised by the male gender, as they are the ones capable of working on physical jobs, such as mining and moulding. The third similarity between the first two articles is the emphasis on the relationship of drinking as part of the practice of the working class. In this regard, Joe’s tavern and the factory of the skilled workers play a significant role, as these places are the venues for skilled and unskilled workers to have fun and to voice out their complaints regarding their work and their lives.
In relation to the third article, it has been able to emphasize the role played by capitalism in providing work for the aborigines. However, this aspect becomes similar to the other two articles, as capitalism serves to be the driving force of the different factories in the manufacturing industries during that time, which helped provide wages and work to the working class. However, despite this similarity, two specific differences of the third article to the other two can be pointed out. First difference is the fact that the third article emphasized the indigenous culture of the aborigines, which played a particular role in the aborigines’ participation in the wage-labour economy. In this regard, the concept of the “potlatch” becomes an important influence to take note of because this encouraged the aborigines to earn more to be able to maintain a high status in their tribe, which was not the kind of influence that served as the driving force for the skilled workers in the first two articles. The second difference is the particular importance and participation of women in the wage-labour economy, which was not the case in the first two articles. In the third article, the author was able to emphasize that because the aborigines pay significant attention to division of labour, women during that time was also able to work in factories, such as sawmills and canneries, regardless of their gender. In this regard, the aborigines have a high regard of the roles that women play in their society or tribe, which is totally different from industrial societies described in the first two articles.
In terms of argument, all three articles are able to emphasize that capitalism fueled the wage-labour economy in the country during that period. The arising industrial revolution and development of machineries and other manufacturing equipments during that time served as the driving force for the change in the strategies of the working class. The gradual shift of the economies from agricultural to industrial may somehow determined the social status of the working class, including other members in the society. In addition to this, the role of the church was also significant in the development of industrial capitalism and the wage-labour economy, as the church used the influence of faith and religion in order to persuade many to work. On the contrary, the first two articles are more similar in terms of the location or society compared to the third article. The first two articles focused on the industrial society, while the third article focused on the indigenous communities of the aborigines. In the last article, culture and belief were emphasized to be the driving force for the aborigines to participate in the wage-labour economy and capitalism.
Opinion on the Articles
With this, in my opinion, I believe that in relation to capitalism and the wage-labour economy, the third article on the aborigines was the article that made a better argument. This is because the author gave particular importance to the group of individuals that usually experience discrimination in the society. The author was also able to indirectly emphasize that because of their lack of formal education, these groups of people are the ones being used by capitalists for their self-interests. As stated in the article, the capitalists had the greatest idea of obtaining beaver and other animal fur from the aborigines when they accepted “strange” things from the colonizers, such as knives and other metal objects. In this regard, the colonizers used these objects as offerings in place of the fur, which during that time is considered a luxury and status quo item. From this, it can be observed that the colonizers abused the skills and ignorance of the aborigines. In addition, due also to the lack of their formal education and understanding of how things work in the industrial and advanced society, the skills and labour of the aborigines are being abused by paying them less than they deserve. Because of their cheap labor, capitalists are able to obtain and profit much higher from the trade. With this, I believe that the third article was able to serve as a good eye opener for its readers, in realizing that these situations can still be observed in the contemporary society despite the extensive use of technology.
Based on my analysis, comparison of the three articles is not as difficult, as they provide significant similarities and differences that can be detected and determined through in-depth understanding of the events that happened in the cultural history of Canada. Comparison of the three articles was challenging enough to impart additional knowledge on my part, thus, further developing my critical and analytical thinking skills. Thus, in this regard, although challenging, comparison of the articles provided more benefits than difficulties.
References
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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