The labour movement which invariably accompanies the capitalist system was rather slow and irregular in France, in comparison to England and Germany. Labour combinations were forbidden by Napoleon and as a result no labour movement could develop in France. It was only after 1864 that the combinations of workmen were legalised.
Thereafter the trade union movement in France made a steady progress. In 1895 the General Confederation of Labour, one of the largest and the most influential labour organizations in the world, was formed at Li- mogoes. However, this organization was primarily concerned with bringing the working men together in the economic domain and work for their emancipation.