ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with the main characteristics of British industry in the second half of the nineteenth century, arguing for a more differentiated account of economic processes and the changing patterns of the division of labour. It describes an analysis of trade unionism in the period points out the variations in the form of organization of different types of workers and argues that the construction of these institutional defences was crucial for the maintenance of their positions in the division of labour. The chapter deals with the area where more fruitful explanations are to be found, that is in the changing nature of the state, focusing on the effects of increased intervention in the economy during the First World War. It discusses of the issues of residential settlement and urban subcultures. The chapter explains popular politics in terms of changes in the division of labour. It provides an explanation for ideology and politics.
