A Quest for Time

A Quest for Time: The Reduction of Work in Britain and France, 1840-1940 provides a compelling historical analysis of the struggle for shorter working hours as a crucial aspect of labor movements in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The book challenges conventional labor historiography by shifting focus from traditional workplace struggles over wages and conditions to the broader social and political implications of time regulation. By examining Britain and France—two nations at the forefront of industrialization and labor reform—the study explores how the demand for reduced work hours was not merely a technical or economic issue, but rather a deeply political and social movement intertwined with concepts of citizenship, family life, and leisure.

Through extensive archival research and comparative analysis, the author traces the evolution of the short-hours movement, demonstrating its transnational character and highlighting the interplay between labor activism, state intervention, and broader social transformations. The book argues that the push for the eight-hour workday and other reductions in work time were central to labor's vision of a restructured society, where workers could reclaim control over their lives beyond the factory. By linking labor radicalism before World War I with the reformist labor politics of the interwar period, A Quest for Time provides a fresh perspective on the dynamics of labor reform, modernization, and the ever-evolving struggle to balance work and life in industrial societies.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1989.