The author leads the reader through a story of struggle and development covering more than four centuries: from the medieval guilds and early craftsmen's and labourers' associations to the dramatic growth of trade unionism in Britain in the 19th and 20th centuries. He shows how powerful personalities such as Robert Applegarth, Henry Broadhurst, Tom Mann, Ernest Bevin and Walter Citrine have helped to shape the pattern of present-day unionism, and for this edition he has added a chapter On the Defensive: the 1980s. The author also wrote The Origins of the Labour Party.