In almost 1500 biographical entries, this comprehensive, authoritative reference work covers the European labour movement from its origins to the present. The entries are selected from all the countries of Europe, from Ireland in the west to Russia in the east and from Finland in the north to Greece in the south. Written by specialists in the labor history of the subject countries, the entries are arranged alphabetically, irrespective of the country of origin, while a state-by-state breakdown provides an additional source of information. Labour is defined broadly to include trade unions, political parties, cooperatives, and anarcho-syndicalist groups, but not so broadly as to include state-controlled bodies lacking democratic procedures.