ABSTRACT
The present trade union link with the Labour Party dates officially from 1900, but the unions had political associations and were involved in political action much earlier than that. The move towards a new political party created by trade union finance and support had its roots in the two sets of reformers who campaigned intelligently and effectively in the early part of the nineteenth century. The early societies and clubs, which grew into what have come to be known as trade unions, derived their impetus from the immediate needs of the working man rather than the ideas of political thinkers. The demands for political reform eventually succeeded with the passing of the first Reform Act in 1832, and this had a major effect on the trade union movement. The trade depression of 1837–42 had the effect of weakening unionism while strengthening political struggles and these conditions saw the rise of the Chartist movement.
