ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book concludes labour and the trade unions had begun the process of formally entering the mainstream of Britain's economic and political life by 1871. It attempts to move beyond the comfort zone of many of the standard histories of British trade unionism. The affray in question, between striking workers and blacklegs, is fascinating, not least because it provides a vivid example of the always fractious, frequently ugly, often violent, and sometimes bloody nature of labour relations in Britain during these decades. The book provides an outlet for a release of anger and a corresponding lessening of emotional tension. This release of tension can work to relieve pressure on the social structure as when Britain's working communities were struggling to transition to a more industrial and market economy during the decades of the late eighteenth and nineteenth century.
