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"Sidney and Beatrice Webb were pioneering social scientists and formidable historians of labour relations and industrial organization.They were more than historians - they had a commitment to the systematic analysis of social problems and worked hard to propose effective structures and practices to enable the state to serve the needs of the community as a whole. Their ""History of Trade Unionism"", first published in 1894 and revised in two further editions up to the 1920 edition of this collection, along with the complementary work, ""Industrial Democracy"", published in two volumes in 1897 and reprinted also in a 1920 edition, remain by far the most important works in the history and organization of industrial relations. Their 1898 collection of essays ""Problems of Modern Industry"" further explore, among other issues, women and wages, hours of work, the impact of the Factory Acts, and aspects of management offering besides a lively picture of their working methods. The second edition, of 1902, is reprinted here as it contains a very useful Introduction."

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9781403917454

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SIDNEY WEBB (1859-1947) and BEATRICE POTTER WEBB (1858-1943) researched independently before their marriage in 1892, and for the next fifty years worked together in a remarkable partnership. They were extraordinarily careful social researchers, and formidable social analysts. Though they formed a misguided attachment to the 'new civilization' of Stalin's Soviet Union in the 1930s, their earlier historical and political work was original and substantial, and their brand of Fabian socialism humane and practical. Their many publications included the works in this collection on industrial organization and history, and a 'magisterial' 11-volume History of English Local Government, as well as many short books, reports and essays. They served on numerous boards and special commissions of government: Beatrice served on the Royal Commission on the Poor Law in 1905, with whose conclusions both Webbs disagreed to the point of issuing a two- volume minority report, and Sidney was an MP in the 1920s. They founded the London School of Economics in 1895, 'the biggest single enterprise of Our Partnership'. - DAVID MARTIN teaches Social History at the University of Sheffield and is an expert on the history of labour. His recent books include Labour in British Society, and he was a contributor to The Dictionary of Labour Biography.

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