ABSTRACT
Turning more specifically to trade unions themselves, the potential role of culture, civilization and values in informing union purpose had been first formulated, of course, by the 'ethical' school. The significance of unique cultural and historical experiences and of the theoretical importance of the action approach in this context may be further highlighted by an examination of the salience of 'party' as an analytical construct. In short, in Economy and Society, M. Weber defined and interpreted trade unionism in a manner which was clearly sensitive to both economic and political purposes, even though his main emphasis was unmistakably upon the former. Turning more specifically, then, to the formal elaboration of action categories and the perception of unionism it is worth emphasizing that in Weber's own interpretation, trade unions were to be understood as specific types of economic organization.
