Introduction
The Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers was founded in Rochdale, England, in 1844 and soon became a prototype for cooperatives worldwide. Its governance structure, known as the Rochdale Principles, is still a key guideline for the design of cooperatives.
Brief History
The social dislocations of the Industrial Revolution inspired workers and enlightened entrepreneurs to establish cooperative societies since the beginning of the nineteenth century. In 1844, the Rochdale Pioneers, 28 weavers and other artisans, set up their own cooperative society, collected a capital of £1 sterling per member and started a grocery shop. By 1850, membership had risen to 600, making the Rochdale Society the first successful cooperative that survived for more than a few years. This inspired others in neighboring cities to start a cooperative according to the Rochdale model. Efforts to establish new cooperatives, to educate cooperators, to lobby for a better legislation for cooperatives, and...
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Fairbairn, B. (1994). The meaning of Rochdale: The Rochdale pioneers and the co-operative principles. Occasional Paper Series. Centre for the Study of Co-operatives. University of Saskatchewan.
Lambert, P. (1963). Studies in the social philosophy of co-operation. Manchester: Co-operative Union.
Melnyk, G. (1985). The search for community. From Utopia to a co-operative society. Montréal/New York: Black Rose Books.
Thompson, D. (1994). Weavers of dreams. Founders of the modern co-operative movement. Davis, CA: Center for Cooperatives, University of California.
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Van Opstal, W. (2010). Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers. In: Anheier, H.K., Toepler, S. (eds) International Encyclopedia of Civil Society. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-93996-4_820
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-93996-4_820
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