The origins of the British labour party

Abstract EN

In most countries, political parties exist.

they are organized groups with the aim of gaining and exerting power within the society in which they operate.

antonio gramsci claimed that “to write the history of a party is to write the general history of a country from a monographic point of view.” however, this purpose cannot be obtained without reference to the context from which the labour party had evolved and developed later.when the labour party was formed in 1900 as the labour representation committee, it began as a loose federation that combined a number of trade unions and several socialist organizations for the purpose of increasing working class representation in parliament in an attempt to improve their living and working conditions.

nevertheless, the emergence of labour was not all of a sudden, but it was the product of evolutionary factors.

the new social conditions stemming from the industrial revolution led to the emergence of new ideas among the workers, who began to feel a sense of unity and common interests.

consequently, nineteenth century britain was characterized by major changes in the political field.

in the last part of the century, as the trade unions had already developed, leaders of the working class started to form different socialist organizations aiming at advancing their rights.

it is in these struggles that the labour party had its roots.