Technology, Control, and the Social Organization of Work at a British Hardware Firm, 1791-1891

Abstract

This paper examines the social relations of production at a British metal-trades firm throughout the 19th century. The case study reveals the existence of two distinct political apparatuses, or regimes, identified in provious literature, that govern production relations. The first regime, between 1791 and 1867, is described as patriarchal because production is organized around adult, male, internal subcontactors and their families. In the second period, roughly 1868-91, the regime is characterized as paternalistic since it attempts to align the interests of capital and worker through family, work, and community life. The analysis uncovers social and economic forces that undermined the system of internal subcontracting and patriarchy and fostered paternalism. Emerging paternalism shaped the struggles over the introduction of new technologies that formed the basis for the real subordination of labor to capital.