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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Cooperative Movement
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Inspired by the ideas of Robert *Owen, many cooperative ventures were founded in early 19C Britain, with the profit from joint endeavours shared between the members. The most lasting in its influence was the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers, formed in 1844 in *Rochdale (then in Lancashire, now part of Greater Manchester). From it has descended the worldwide Cooperative Movement, following what are known as the Rochdale Principles; these include open membership, democratic control and a dividend on purchases.
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The dividend, in effect a discount to members on goods bought at the *Co-op, has been the main reason for the great success of the enterprise; but the early ideals of mutual help within a community also provided a powerful impulse. The movement has remained a coalition of local societies, each with its own members and responsible for its own finances. But the pressures of competition have caused many to merge in recent decades. In 1960 there were some 900 retail societies in the country; in the early 1990s the number is closer to 60.
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The Rochdale Pioneers and other retail cooperatives found it difficult to buy the goods they needed; so in 1863 they formed the Cooperative Wholesale Society (CWS), which in 1873 also began manufacturing. The CWS now has extensive factory and farming enterprises, producing 60% of the goods sold in the Co-op outlets. The Cooperative movement is also involved in insurance, banking, publishing and education.
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