Saga - 1969, Page 131

UPPHAF ÍSL. VERKALÝÐSI-IREYFINGAR
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political parties in this country was not based on class, but on people’s
differing attitudes towards the struggle for independence from Den-
mark. Thus conditions within the country helped to create an Icelandic
Labour movement in the spirit of trade unionism.
The 5th chapter deals chiefly with what was written about the
Labour movement in newspapers towards the end of the 19th century,
and the economic conditions in Iceland. It becomes clear that the
amount of writing done about class struggles and Labour movements
abroad increased towards the close of the century, and this was
particularly so around 1896, when more newspapers were founded. The
poet Einar Benediktsson edited the paper „Dagskrá" and in it en-
couraged the founding of Labour unions and supplied information
on socialism. On the east coast Þorsteinn Erlingsson supported the
cause of the workers in the paper „Bjarki" at Seyðisfjörður. Influ-
ence stemming from socialism is also apparent in the poetry of
„realism" of the time. The author is of the opinion that increased
writing about these matters served to encourage the workers to
organize themselves around 1897. Furthermore he points out the
favourable economic conditions during the last years of the 19th
century, i. e. much export, shortage of, but much demand for labour,
factors which made it easier for workers to have the courage to
form their own unions.
At the end of his work the author puts forward the main conclusions
he has come to through his research in a summary:
1. The founders of the first trade unions were aided by the experi-
ence of the I. O. G. T. The formation of trade unions occurred as a
result of a greater social consciousness among the people and their
greater efforts made towards unity. Furthermore the Co-operative
movement among farmers directed the workers towards unity in order
to strengthen their power through a system of collective bargaining.
2. When founding the trade unions the pioneers were advised by
men who, through personal experience or by reading or hearing about
it, had acquired some knowledge of the Labour movement in Western
Europe and North America.
3. The foundation of trade unions in Iceland grew in step with the
introduction of capitalistic methods of production, which followed
the change in the structure of a society which had essentially been
an agrarian one.
4. Before the turn of the century three main groups of workers
had founded their trade unions, i. e. fishermen, manual labourers and
skilled labourers, but the activities of the unions were limited to
collective and non-political bargaining.
In his closing words the author expresses the hope that his research
may have thrown some light upon the formative period of the Icelandic
Labour movement and that it may be of help to those who make it
their task to bring to light the great importance of the Labour move-
ment in the political and national history of Iceland in the twentieth
aentury.