Wages in 1873: Address read before the Social Science Association at Norwich

This is a primary source from the heart of Victorian England, when the industrial economy was reshaping everything about how people lived and worked. Thomas Brassey, himself a railway magnate and later Earl, stood before the Social Science Association in Norwich in 1873 to document a remarkable moment: wages had risen significantly, and the labor movement was gaining real power. Brassey offers a businessman’s perspective on this transformation, examining how economic recovery following earlier depressions had finally reached working people, and how labor unions were becoming forces to be reckoned with in negotiating fair pay. The address captures a pivotal turning point in the relationship between capital and labor, one that would define the next century of economic politics. For anyone interested in labor history, the Industrial Revolution’s aftermath, or how economists understood their own moment, this is a front-row seat to history being made.