Question a: Assess the importance of Keir Hardie in the development of the Labour party. (30 marks available)

James Keir Hardy was important to the emergence of the Labour party, as he was associated with all of the major points that led to the Labour party’s success in the 1906 general election.

Hardie had a working-class background; he was born to Mary Keir in 1856. He had a poor upbringing, working in the mines as a young boy. He learned to read and write from scraps of newspapers and using a pin on a blackened stone. This working-class background enabled him to continue to see the problems faced by the working class throughout his political career.

He joined a union, but because of his union activities he was blacklisted from the mines in the Scottish area. After this he joined a journal, writing for it and then becoming the secretary of the newly-found Amalgamated Society of Miners in 1881. Throughout this time he shared close links with the Liberal party, but finally left them when they continued to support the Boer War and he was overlooked in an election in favour of a middle-class man, despite being the miners’ choice. Hardie realised early on that the Liberals would not work hard enough for the working class. This urged him to become an MP for the working class in the 1892 election.

Hardie also helped set up the Scottish National Labour party, as well as becoming the first independent MP for Labour. All these events show that Keir Hardie was going to help the Labour party’s emergence. His close links with the trade unions, his help in the Scottish Labour party and becoming an independent MP, helped him to fight hard for the emergence of the ILP and gain a seat again in the general election.

He helped again with the emergence of the Labour party when he briefly became leader, with Ramsay MacDonald as secretary.

Hardie was closely affiliated with the Labour party from early on, he took part in both the ILP and bringing in close links with the trade union. He had been working towards it from a young age. His unbreakable belief in what the Labour party should be and his constant struggle to keep his seat in Parliament were invaluable to the emergence of the Labour party.

Judith certainly covers the page in this answer, which is worth 50 per cent of the marks of the second part below. In terms of balance, she’ s spending too much time on this question where it’s important to pick up as many marks as possible without compromising on the time left for the last part of the question. However, when one looks at this answer it’s possible to see why; she desperately wants to put down what she knows about Keir Hardie and to largely tell his story or narrate. At AS and A2 level it’s essential to avoid this trap. Judith falls into this trap and thus the answer is worth no more than a rather limited D grade at best. On what’s written here, it’s more likely to be given a grade E. Sharp, well structured analysis is required to access the higher grades. You have been warned!

What was being looked for was information on Keir Hardie’s career, such as Lanarkshire miner, first ever working- class MP and founder of the Scottish Labour party, won a seat as independent at West Ham South in 1892 and went on to form the Independent Labour party in 1893; first secretary of the Labour Representation Committee in 1900 and then gradually convinced trade unionists of the need for an independent Labour party. All of this being placed within a clearly analytical and evaluative framework.

Question b: Why were trade unions able to develop in this period? (60 marks available)

Trade Unions got large and gained more support throughout the 1860s towards 1900. They changed greatly from the unions which were seen in the 1850s. The first significant unions in the 1850s were the ‘new model unions’, which were more like craft guilds. They were small elite groups consisting of only skilled workers. The first union of this kind was the ASE (Amalgamated Society of Engineers). These unions were friendly societies and offered benefits such as sick pay. The ‘new model unions’ gained limited support and worked towards only striking if necessary. These trade unions were allowed to grow after a change in the laws surrounding unions.

The emergence of ‘new unionism’ in the late 1880s built up the trade unions into a larger power than they had previously been. The junta had been one of the largest organisations in the time of the ‘new model unions’. It had consisted of five men representing the five largest unions. The junta was soon forgotten in a wave of ‘new unionism’ and the development of the TUC.

The Trade Union Congress developed in 1868 as a collection of delegates from the unions. It had an annual meeting in which it discussed topics from the trade union delegates’ speeches. The TUC grew stronger throughout the years and eventually set up a parliamentary committee. The idea was to lobby MPs and question them about their views of trade unions in return, if they supplied the relevant answers that were helpful to the trade unions, the TUC encouraged their members to vote in favour of that party.

The ‘new unionism’ of the late 1880s brought a different and stronger type of unionism. The new unions had a whole new ideology consisting of militant tactics and a socialist leadership. The new unions were open to all workers, unskilled or skilled. These unions saw an easier time, as the laws allowed picketing and supported their finances. The changes in laws in the 1870s allowed a new kind of union. The Protection of Property Act of 1875 allowed unions new opportunities.

The new unions gained the support of the Liberals and helped to put a lot of Lib-Lab members into Parliament. This helped the unions to become more powerful and develop.

The unions were set back though in 1901 by the Taff Vale judgement. It was this that made the unions realise that they were not as protected as they thought and realised that if they really wanted to succeed they need a Labour party just for the working men.

The trade unions were able to develop from the 1860s onwards because of many reasons: changes in the law allowed them to become legal and thus gain more power. The British economy at that time also helped as there were times of great prosperity. Trade unions also developed because the working class wanted to be organised. After 1867 many now also had the vote.

Judith’s answer here repeats a number of the issues identified for the first part. It does lack clear and purposeful structure, only coming close to setting out the essay’s aims in the last paragraphs. It tends towards a narrative approach, which immediately sends warning signals to an examiner. A lot of careful work on technique and sharpening up of use of example is required for this student if she is to improve in a re-sit exam! Again, this scores a low D or high E mark.

The content the examiners were looking for included: The importance of the TUC; Hornby v Close case; establishment of new model unions; anti trade union legislation of Gladstone; significance of the Matchgirls and London Dock strike; closer co-operation with Labour party; Taff Vale; trade union support of the Labour party in 1906 election; key role of leaders such as Hardie, MacDonald; Annie Besant and William Thorne.