PHILIP TAFT ¹
Brown University

GENERALIZATIONS TO EXPLAIN the origin and nature of the trade
union movement have been developed by a variety of writers. Even
a superficial observation of the labor movement reveals a multitude of
facts, some of them isolated and some contradictory. A theory is an
attempt to give an ordered explanation, to account for the origin and
behavior of labor unionism. It may also serve as a basis for pre-
dicting the conduct and policies that may be followed by the labor
movement in the future. Policies in this connection must be regarded
in a broad sense rather than the operations on a day-to-day basis. The
first part of the discussion examines the theories which seek to explain
the origin of the labor movement. It is followed by an analysis of
theories dealing with the behavior of the labor movement, and a
section which attempts to discuss the various views in the light of
contemporary developments.

One of the earliest attempts by a non-socialist writer to deal with
this question was made by the German economist and historian, Lujo
Brentano. Writing in the third quarter of the 19th century, Brentano
was convinced that "Trade-Unions are the successors of the old
Gilds." ² Brentano, unlike the contemporary critics who see trade
unions as a "gild type" of monopoly, was not opposed to organiza-
tions of workers. On the contrary, he believed they were both neces-
sary and desirable as offsets to the power of the employer. Unions,
in Brentano's opinion, arose under "the breaking up of an old system,
and among the men suffering from this disorganization, in order that
they may maintain independence and order." ³

Brentano was a welfarist and reformer and an intellectual opponent
of socialism. He therefore emphasized the aspects of trade unionism

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