craft guilds
Medieval trade unions
Craft guilds were medieval associations of artisans in the same trade—blacksmiths, weavers, cobblers—who organized to regulate their craft, set quality standards, and control who could practice it.
Members progressed from apprentice to journeyman to master.
The guild system dominated European urban economies from roughly the 12th through 18th centuries: The craft guilds of Florence produced some of the finest textiles in Europe.
- journeymanQualified trade worker
- monopolyOne seller, no substitutes
- charterFounding organizational document
- town charterFounding document for local governance
- bylawsOrganization's internal regulations
wax seal · master · membership · apprentice · skilled labor · livery companies · hierarchy · initiation · mercantilism · merchant guilds · production quotas · moral codes · quality control · charity work · feudalism · patron saints · pricing · livery
- medieval societyserfs, noble lineage, peasants, serf, heir
- clubs & societiesprofessional bodies, historical societies, hobby clubs, garden clubs, book clubs
- craft eventsart fairs, artisan markets, quilting bee, quilt show, community fairs
- craftsmenblacksmith, carpenter, cobbler, mason, weaver
- societiescivilization, secret societies, nation, literary societies, tribal society
- traditional craftspottery, hand sewing, wood carving, weaving, blacksmithing
craft guildsfactories
Industrial production facilities
industrial capitalism · mass production · corporations · assembly lines · manufacturing plants
craft guildstrade unions
Worker collectives for negotiations
labor unions · at-will employment · independent contractors · professional associations
craft guildsfree market
Commerce without state intervention
free market economy · open competition · free trade · neoliberalism
craft, guild, craftsman, craftsmanship, guildhall, guildsman