The Farm Labourer: The History of a Modern Problem (Classic Reprint) - Hardcover

Olive Jocelyn Dunlop

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0484084666 ISBN 13: 9780484084666

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2018

Synopsis

Aiming to explain how economic change reshaped rural life, The Farm Labourer: The History of a Modern Problem shows how a once independent peasant class became a fragile wage workforce. In this analysis, the book traces long-term shifts that touched farms, homes, and communities, offering a clear view of the forces behind the modern rural problem.

Two centuries of change are shown in plain terms. The narrative connects enclosure, market shifts, and political limits to the hardships facing labourers, housing, schooling, and wages. It also follows reform efforts, from early philanthropists to later legislation, and asks what made some remedies fail or succeed. The result is a grounded, accessible history that helps readers understand the stake of workers, farmers, and communities alike.

• How enclosure and land practices helped shape the labourer’s life and income
• The rise of rural migration, wages patterns, and the politics of reform
• The development of allotments, education, and social clubs as responses to hardship
• The emergence and limitations of agricultural unions and other collective actions

Ideal for readers of social history and labor history seeking a clear account of how rural problems formed and how reforms tried to address them.

Edition details

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0484084666
• ISBN 13: 9780484084666
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 282