Gevärssmederna och den frätande dyrheten : En studie av konflikter vid Söderhamns gevärsfaktori 1749–1796

This essay brings new knowledge about the terms and conditions for the artisans in the swedish armament industry in Sweden during the 1800th-century. It was a time of opportunity for entrepreneurs and a time when the social and economic standing for the artistans where under pressure. This led to conflicts, and this study shows that the artisans did use multiple strategies in order to maintain their social and economic position in a changing world. The purpose of this essay is to examine conflicts regarding the social organization of the work at the gun manufactory in Söderhamn between 1749 and 1796. During this period the ownership of the facility shifted from state owned to private and back. The main sources examined in this essay are documents regarding the Söderhamns gun manufactory, found in the archive of the artilleridepartement at krigskollegium. Other sources are protocols from the the local council, the magistrat, and church records. A marxist method of analyzing the social organization of work is used. By using a model of the whole of the production process the areas of conflicts are analysed. The theoretical approach is influenced by Marx and Foucault's theories of power. The essay shows that the governmental objectives in mid 1800-th century was to rationalize the production and privatize the swedish arm manufactories in order to gain a lower prize for muskets used by the armed forces. The new organization of the production led to resistance among the artisans. The guild was the organizer of the protests, and the artisans acted strategic. They cooperated with different parties to put pressure behind their demands. Several times this was a fruitful strategy. In spite of the mercantilistic visions of their superiors, the majority of the artisans had their own workshops and where able to maintain a substantial production for the private market during the whole time. During the Seven year war the production of the infantry musket where stopped at the same time as the workers in Jönköping where stiking for better payment. Four of five facilities had problems delivering armament in 1761. When krigskollegium regained the ownership of the manufactory in 1778 the artisans lost influence. The division of labour progressed during the crown´s management