Pierre Judet is a specialist in the working world and industry, in particular in France; he worked on local industrial production systems (especially mountain ones), objects he uses many times as examples in his work. His thesis, published in the same collection in 2004, could also prove to be very useful to competition students because it is rich in local examples and at the heart of the chronological limits of the program (Watchmakers and watchmakers of Faucigny (1849-1934). The metamorphoses of a social and political identity, PUG, The stone and the written, 2004).
Even if this work is above all centered on France, it remains very useful to the preparers of the competitions who will be able to find there knowledge, figures, a vast well-organized bibliography but above all relevant and interesting examples. As for history and geography teachers, they will be able to mobilize it as well at college and high school as in preparatory classes or at university, in particular thanks to the numerous statistics and the documents offered. In fourth, it thus offers a good reading for colleagues tackling theme 2 of the program: “Europe and the world in the XIXe century ”and in particular the first chapter:“ Europe and the Industrial Revolution ”since Pierre Judet largely reviews the historiography around this notion of“ industrial revolution ”. Colleagues teaching in class of 1re professionals will also be able to use the book as part of the first theme on “men and women at work at the beginning of the XIXe at the beginning of the XXe century ”. They will find detailed and original examples of interest to high school students: companionship, the body and health of workers, health crises in particular the cholera crisis of 1832 … Then, colleagues teaching in general or technological first could use the book for the chapter on industrialization and the acceleration of economic and social transformations in France, the book dealing with all the issues at the heart of the primary program (transformation of production methods, importance of the rural world, the question social…). Once again, interesting and original document studies could be taken from this work: the table of the number of the indigent in Lille from 1825 to 1833 (p.130) and the following text taken from the memoirs of Martin Nadaud (p. 131 ) could thus be studied by grade 1 students. Finally, the supervisor’s colleagues will find a summary historiographically updated by one of the French specialists in the subject, as well as a rich bibliography and relevant examples to study with their students.
Classically, this work follows a chronological progression. It is divided into two main periods: from the 1830s to the 1870s, Pierre Judet deals with “classes dangerous to the working class” then from the 1880s to the 1930s “industry and its industrial workers”. Within these parts, the thematic (and sometimes chronological) chapters provide an overview of the question. Before these two parts, an introduction returns to the subject, its actors, its historiography and the main issues at the heart of the question.
First of all, the first part is devoted to the transition from the dangerous classes to the working class from the 1830s to the 1930s. The first chapter returns to the notion of “industrial revolution”, its historiography and recent advances on the question, then little by little on how France lived and adapted this industrial revolution. More original, the second chapter starts from the cholera epidemic of 1832 and is deeply a chapter of social history, it is one of the most interesting chapters of the book as well for the preparers as for the teachers who can make it. a case study to understand the social issues of the industrial revolution at the start of the period. The third chapter, if it seems very statistical, also looks back at the daily life of workers: their trades, pluriactivity, workplaces. Finally, the last chapter of this first part returns to the passage from pauperism to the social question during the period by insisting on the role of the actors: the workers, the bosses, the State. This first part is rich in precious statistical documents for the preparers (in particular comparative statistics with the rest of Western Europe). It returns to classic points but historiographically updated (for example on female workers, place and life in factories, etc.) but also more original: hygiene in France, the vision of the elites of pluriactivity, examples of local productive systems at the beginning of the XIXe century, companionship.
The second part is devoted to industry and its workforce from the 1880s to the 1930s; this part is much more chronological. The part begins with a reflection very present in the historiography on the “triumph of the factory”. Returning classically to this question, the author discusses interesting examples, on the industrial suburbs with Saint-Denis or, in a more original way, on white coal in the Alps while presenting many actors of the working class (the vagabond … ). The reflections on immigration and foreigners in the working class are particularly interesting and surrounded by valuable statistical documents for the preparatory worker. The following chapter questions “the affirmation of the working class and the construction of the social field” by addressing classic points (strikes, unionism, the social turning point of the Third Republic). This synthetic chapter would be interesting for colleagues from the first working on theme 3 of the program on the Third Republic before 1914. Then, the seventh chapter on “war and industrial manpower” is particularly relevant, as well for preparers than colleagues in third or first (general or professional). This synthesis on the definition, role and characteristics of the workforce during the Great War is complete and once again allows stimulating perspectives with the students. The end of the chapter is devoted to the Reform and social protection (notably on strikes during the war). The penultimate chapter on the 1920s “changing workers ‘worlds” and the last chapter on “crises, hope and disappointment” are more chronological and synthetic, but allow a quick understanding of the workers’ worlds during these two key decades.
To conclude, this particularly fluid, well-written, organized and problematized work constitutes a good complement for the preparers of the question “work in Western Europe from the 1830s to the 1930s”, it allows to supplement the courses and the manuals with classic but also original examples, while updating the statistical data. The preparers will regret, but it was not the objective of the book, the concentration only on the French example. For teachers, this book is synthetic and well updated, if it is not revolutionary in its content, it allows the teacher to have access to a large amount of information on the subject. Finally, we can congratulate the material quality of the book which makes reading even more fluid, but which explains its relatively high price (39 euros).
© Historiens & Géographes – All rights reserved. 12/18/2020
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