Formation of the British Working Class -- Up and Down

Author: [British] Thompson, translated by Qian Chengdan and others
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2001-01-01
Features: The writing of this book is as follows: The first part examines the people's traditions passed down from the 18th century, which played a role in the severe Jacobin uprisings of the 1790s. The second part shifts from subjective factors to objective factors, namely the firsthand experiences of different worker groups during the Industrial Revolution, and in my view, these experiences hold particularly profound significance. This section also attempts to evaluate the characteristics of the new labor discipline emerging in the industry and its relationship with the Wesleyan Methodism. The third part discusses the history of popular radicalism, from the Luddite movement to those moving and memorable years that ended with the Napoleonic Wars. Finally, it explores certain aspects of political theory and class consciousness in the 1820s and 30s of the 19th century. The author of this book selects workers during the Industrial Revolution in Britain as the subject of study, explaining history through the perspectives of class analysis and class struggle, and elaborating on his theory of class and the "formation" of class.