41
votes
Accepted
Why did piracy thrive in the late 17th and early 18th centuries?
The creation and expansion of European empires during the Age of Discovery resulted in the expansion of trade routes to new colonies and trading posts across the world. The vast areas of these trade ...
- 19.2k
14
votes
What was the largest strike, by % of a country's population, in history?
In the aftermath of the first World War, approximately 12 million German workers (source in German) out of a population of 62 million went on a general strike to protest the Kapp Putsch. This is a ...
- 16.8k
14
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Why did sailing ships so often employ Chinese cooks?
Discrimination against the Chinese was clearly a key factor, excluding them from higher paid and more desirable jobs aboard ship. Here is a quote from the article "‘I Espied a Chinaman’: Chinese ...
- 18.7k
13
votes
What was the largest strike, by % of a country's population, in history?
The French General Strike of May 1968 is a likely contender with around 10 million on strike out of a then population of about 51.2 million, or about 19.5% of the total population. This represented ...
- 108k
11
votes
Accepted
How many hours a week did the Tolpuddle Martyrs work?
I did not find a specific reference to the work hours of the Tolpuddle Martyrs either. It's possible they worked radically unconventional hours, but probably it was no different than the norm at the ...
- 97.4k
10
votes
Accepted
What happened to UK national debt when the NHS was created?
In fact the creation of the NHS didn't have a significant influence on the national debt. This is mostly because the NHS wasn't created from scratch (with thanks to Steve Bird). There were already ...
- 1,006
10
votes
Accepted
In historical slave societies, what jobs were left over for poor free laborers?
The phrase "left over" implies slaves doing most of the work. While seemingly intuitive, it is in actuality quite implausible. For most of history in farming based civilisations, the vast majority of ...
- 97.4k
9
votes
How much leisure time was enjoyed by English peasants in the 16th century?
The labouring man will take his rest long in the morning; a good piece of the day is spent afore he come at his work; then he must have his breakfast, though he have not earned it at his accustomed ...
- 14.6k
8
votes
How many hours did Andrew Carnegie's steel workers work per week?
It is unlikely to be possible to offer an "average" for the number of hours worked per week by Andrew Carnegie's steel workers (or anyone else's steel workers, for that matter). The primary difficulty ...
- 77.3k
8
votes
Accepted
History from pop culture (novels): the UK in the 1910's
I suspect that we have a conflict of assumptions and language. The Lord of the World is a work of speculative fiction. None of it is historical. @KillingTime pointed out the key to understanding ...
MCW♦
- 32.3k
7
votes
Was every man compelled to follow his father's occupation in ancient Egypt?
It was certainly customary for men in ancient Egypt to follow the profession of their fathers after coming of age, but Adam Smith was wrong to claim that men were "bound by a principle of religion" to ...
- 77.3k
7
votes
When have salaries been paid in kind, not cash?
In the US rail road workers were often paid in such a way that their earnings usually got devoted to their food and board. In todays terms it would be like getting $500 a week but having to spend $495 ...
- 774
7
votes
When have salaries been paid in kind, not cash?
As it happens, I'm getting partly paid in food today. There is a system to record how often I go to the staff canteen, and the next month that is deducted from my payslip. Of course that's only a ...
- 16.8k
6
votes
Was the Abolition of Slavery in the United States perceived and advertised as an effort to improve race relations or as an improvement to labour laws?
Neither.
Reasons given for advocating the abolition of slavery usually were:
1) Slavery was a form of theft and totally wrong, unethical, evil and against the will of God.
2) slavery was bad for ...
- 2,172
6
votes
When have salaries been paid in kind, not cash?
After the political collapse of the Soviet Union came the crash of its industrial system. As a result, for some time during the 90s many workers were paid in kind. Here's a description:
Starved for ...
- 25.7k
6
votes
Accepted
How were native laborers on California ranchos treated?
To make the answer short not very well. Their treatment under the ranchos was pretty much the same as their treatment under the Missions. The articles mentioned they were paid in goods and alcohol, ...
- 6,445
5
votes
In historical slave societies, what jobs were left over for poor free laborers?
As a supplement to Semaphore's excellent answer dealing with ancient slavery thought I'd add one data point from US history...
I remember taking a tour of New Orleans and hearing that the canals were ...
- 3,183
5
votes
Was American slavery economically advantageous primarily due to being able to also sell offspring?
Was American slavery economically advantageous primarily due to being able to also sell offspring?
No, American slavery was economically advantageous regardless of selling offsprings.
If X ...
- 1,933
5
votes
Was American slavery economically advantageous primarily due to being able to also sell offspring?
If slavery is only profitable through the selling of slaves, there's no point in having slaves except as a social status symbol (which may be the case for some slaves in some societies, but not for ...
- 11.3k
5
votes
Accepted
What is the social history of British popular opposition to Thatcher over the miner’s strike?
edit: originally this question asked specifically about modern comedians, and that's what I've tried to answer below.
The UK comedy scene, once called 'alternative comedy' started as an anti-Thatcher ...
- 14.3k
5
votes
How young of a child could do significant labor?
An important concept here is "alienated wage labour." That is labour that is performed for someone else for a wage. A wage can be money, or goods, or food. But the wage relationship is focused on "...
- 14.6k
5
votes
Accepted
Which party did early trade unions identify with in the antebellum USA?
Prior to the 1820s, there was little in the way of organized labor in the modern sense, and collective bargaining was usually found to be illegal in courts. Further, non-property holding white males ...
- 108k
5
votes
Accepted
How long did it take arriving passengers to become indentured servants and where did they stay until then?
Indentured servitude took several forms in the colonial period. A web site here discusses this.
Indentured servants were men and women who willingly signed a contract
in which they agreed to work for ...
- 38.6k
4
votes
What was the largest strike, by % of a country's population, in history?
The general strike in October-November 1956 Hungary was total in the sense that the strike committee (Central Workers Council Greater Budapest & constituent federative bodies) authorised the ...
- 14.6k
4
votes
What happened to UK national debt when the NHS was created?
The direct precursor to the NHS was the Emergency Hospital Service.
It is important to understand that the UK's preparations for war included requisitioning basically every piece of infrastructure ...
- 863
4
votes
How were cattle cut out in the 19th century?
Then and now, the trained cattle dog.
Most of the large herds running in Australia were not as free as the question implies. Large cattle stations and runs in Australia did have conveniently located ...
- 1,820
4
votes
Accepted
How did the Russian-American Company hire serfs?
Firstly, not all peasants were private serfs:
"By the mid-19th century, the peasants composed a majority of the population, and according to the census of 1857 the number of private serfs was 23.1 ...
- 1,933
4
votes
Were union disputes the only reason for low female employment in WWI German factories?
Q During WWI, were union disputes the only reason for low female employment in German factories?
No.
It's a matter of perspectives. And it seems as if the articles prompting the question give a not ...
- 80.8k
3
votes
Accepted
Were the officers assigned to Kamchatka being punished?
I believe punishment is an inaccurate term. Two cultures, one earnestly striving to be a pure meritocracy and the other firmly entrenched in the recognition of birth privilege and honour, are here ...
- 72.3k
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