The Co-Operative Movement in Great Britain

by Beatrice Potter Webb

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This is an OCR edition with typos.
Excerpt from
CHAPTER III. THE STORE. I DO not propose to re-tell in detail the well-known story of the Rochdale Pioneers. These twenty- eight Lancashire working-men successfully grafted certain portions of Robert Owen's Co-operartive ideal on a vigorous democratic stock, out of which has sprung the modern Co-operative movement with its million members, thirty-six millions of annual trade, three millions of yearly " profits," and twelve millions of accumulated capital. Unlike the earlier and succeeding forms of Co-operative association, the Rochdale organization contained within it the germ of vitality. For not only has this system rooted itself firmly in the material needs and social aspirations of the whole body of workers in certain districts of England and Scotland, but it has spread, and is spreading over an ever-widening area, stretching out branches and multiplying off-shoots with pugnacious persistency in response to the vaguest encouragement and most tardy recognition. And, in spite of the constantly recurring failure of individual societies planted in barren soil, this form of democratic association has but one record—a continuous increase in membership, trade, and accumulated wealth. This, however, does not end the tale. Together withthis slow but steady growth in bulk, we witness a rapid internal organization—a consolidation of the political and commercial power of some 1,300 associations and their million members in one political and educational league—the Co-operative Union, andin two closely allied federations for trading and manufacturing purposes —the English and Scotch Wholesale Societies. It behoves us, therefore, to examine carefully into the constitution of the parent society, so that we may discover the secret of the success attained by the Rochdale system. Mr. Hol...

260 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Martha Beatrice Webb, Baroness Passfield (née Potter) was English sociologist, economist, socialist, labour historian and social reformer. It was Webb who coined the term "collective bargaining". She was among the founders of the London School of Economics and played a crucial role in forming the Fabian Society.
In 1890 Beatrice Potter was introduced to Sidney Webb, whose help she sought with her research. They married in 1892, and until her death 51 years later shared political and professional activities.