The North West Labour History Society was formed in the early 1970s to promote greater knowledge of the rich radical and labour history of this part of England, which includes events and movements such as Peterloo, Chartism, the growth of trade unionism, Votes for Women, the formation of Socialist organisations, opposition to war, the General Strike, the International brigades, the fight against the Blackshirts, and much else.
Our activities include:
- holding meetings and hosting book launches
- running stalls at events
- producing an annual journal, North West Labour History
We welcome new members who share our aims. See the membership page for details on how to join.
We would also be very pleased to hear from anyone who would like to become active in the Society. See the activism page for details.
'Culture, Journals and Working-Class Movements, 1820-1979'
Thursday May 16 2013
This one-day conference at the Working Class Movement Library, Salford has grown out of an AHRC-funded project of the same name, in which three PhD studentships at the University of Salford analyse how culture informs and expresses the ideologies of working-class movements. The conference is free, but places are limited so you will need to register by email by 15 April 2013.
All three PhD students will speak: Jen Morgan on '"We need to feel to be awakened": Raymond Williams, Percy Shelley, and the Working Class of the Chartist Period', Matthew Kavanagh on ‘Class Against Class and the Classroom: The CPGB, Schoolteachers and the Educational Worker, 1929–1933’ and Sally Ann Richardson on 'Changing Political Cultures in British Trade Unionism, 1931–79'.
Dr Deborah Mutch (De Montfort University) will speak on the notion of press responsibility in socialist periodicals published between 1884 and 1914 and there will be papers from Dr Kristin Ewins (University of Salford), Keith Gildart (University of Wolverhampton) and Alan Fowler (NWLHS).
For more information, click here to download the conference poster (Acrobat file, 118KB).
The Society is pleased to announce the publication of "Up Then Brave Women": Manchester’s radical women 1819-1918 by Michael Herbert. This tells the dramatic stories of the women who challenged the status quo and campaigned for radical political and social change. There are chapters on Peterloo, Chartism, trade unionism and Votes for Women.
The book costs £9.95 including p&p and can be ordered from Pat Bowker, 1 Bedford Road, Salford M30 9LA. Please make cheques payable to “North West Labour History Group”. It can be ordered on-line from Naomi Symes Books and from News From Nowhere. It can also be ordered from Amazon Books.
Recent articles
Click here to access a selection of articles from recent editions of North West Labour History.