- 1. The Making of the English Working Class, published in 1963 by historian E. P. Thompson, is a seminal work that profoundly redefined the study of history and class in Britain. Through meticulous research and a commitment to primary sources, Thompson explores the emergence of the working class in England during the Industrial Revolution, illustrating how their identities, cultures, and collective consciousness formed amidst social, economic, and political upheaval. Unlike traditional narratives that often depict the working class merely as victims of industrialization, Thompson asserts that they were active agents in shaping their own history, responding creatively to the challenges posed by capitalism and industrialization. He emphasizes the importance of class experience, community, and the role of social movements, thereby giving voice to the struggles and aspirations of ordinary men and women. The book is not just a historical account but also a passionate plea for recognizing the agency and humanity of the working classes. Thompson's innovative narrative style combines rigorous scholarship with a profoundly humane perspective, making the work not only a critical historical analysis but also a literary achievement that resonates with issues of class, identity, and social justice even today.
Which period does Thompson's study primarily cover?
A) 1649 to 1688
B) 1688 to 1789
C) 1780 to 1832
D) 1832 to 1901
- 2. What does Thompson mean by 'class consciousness'?
A) An innate characteristic of poor people.
B) A cultural formation of shared identity and interests.
C) A theory developed solely by political theorists.
D) A direct and automatic result of one's economic position.
- 3. Thompson heavily utilizes the archives of which government agency?
A) The Admiralty
B) The Foreign Office
C) The Home Office
D) The Bank of England
- 4. What was the primary goal of the Corresponding Societies?
A) Promoting international free trade agreements.
B) Building factories for cooperative ownership.
C) Parliamentary reform and universal suffrage.
D) Establishing new religious institutions.
- 5. The Combination Acts of 1799-1800 were laws against what?
A) The publication of radical newspapers.
B) Sedition and treason against the crown.
C) Trade unions and worker combinations.
D) Importing foreign grain.
- 6. Thompson argues that the working class was present at its own...
A) Making
B) Theorizing
C) Funding
D) Ending
- 7. The 'Jacobin' influence in England referred to sympathy with which revolution?
A) The American Revolution
B) The Glorious Revolution
C) The French Revolution
D) The Industrial Revolution
- 8. Thompson's analysis gives significant weight to the experiences of which often-overlooked group?
A) The financial elite of London
B) The peasantry of Ireland
C) Skilled artisans and craftsmen
D) The landed aristocracy
- 9. What year was E.P. Thompson's 'The Making of the English Working Class' first published?
A) 1958
B) 1963
C) 1971
D) 1968
- 10. Which group does Thompson identify as a key radical organization in the 1790s?
A) The Chartists
B) The London Corresponding Society
C) The Fabian Society
D) The Labour Party
- 11. Which Methodist leader is criticized by Thompson for promoting a spirit of submission?
A) Martin Luther
B) John Calvin
C) William Booth
D) John Wesley
- 12. The book is a critique of which type of deterministic theory?
A) Biological determinism
B) Climate determinism
C) Economic determinism
D) Technological determinism
- 13. What 1819 event, a violent attack on a reform meeting, is discussed in the book?
A) The St. George's Fields Massacre
B) The Peterloo Massacre
C) The Massacre of Glencoe
D) The Boston Massacre
- 14. What does Thompson argue was being defended against the imposition of the cash nexus?
A) The gold standard
B) Mercantilism
C) The feudal system
D) The moral economy
- 15. Which government acts, passed to suppress radical activity, does the book examine?
A) The Townshend Acts
B) The Intolerable Acts
C) The Six Acts
D) The Coercive Acts
- 16. What radical weekly newspaper, important to working-class organizing, is featured in the book?
A) The Economist
B) The Black Dwarf
C) The Times
D) The Spectator
- 17. Thompson argues that class is a relationship, not a...
A) Law
B) Theory
C) Feeling
D) Thing
- 18. Which radical thinker and author of 'Rights of Man' is a major figure in the book?
A) Edmund Burke
B) Thomas Paine
C) John Locke
D) Adam Smith
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