Stories from the Co-op Evolution (A Documentary Series)
Introduction
Stories from the Co-op Evolution is a documentative series about the people, principles, and turning points that shaped the cooperative movement as we know it.
Narrated by: Anthony Ellis
Robert Owen – The Industrialist Who Tried to Humanise Capitalism
The first episode of Stories from the Co-op Evolution.
It tells the story of Robert Owen; an early industrialist who believed that cooperation, care, and structured environments could reshape society for the better.
His ideas weren’t perfect. But they sparked debates and experiments that laid the foundations for the cooperative movement we’re building on today.
The Rochdale Pioneers: How a Corner Shop Sparked a Global Movement
A group of working-class weavers in 1844 opened a shop for survival – not profit. That small act helped spark the global co-operative movement.
This new video tells their story and explains the seven principles that still guide co-ops today.
The Black Farmers Who Built Cooperatives After Emancipation
This video tells the story of Black farmers in the American South after emancipation.
Together they pooled land, tools, and knowledge to survive in a system rigged against them.
It explores their cooperation, their vulnerability, and the lessons we must learn to build movements that last.
Nova Scotia’s Forgotten Co-op Revolution: The Antigonish Movement
A forgotten moment in co-operative history.
In 1930s Nova Scotia, ordinary people didn’t wait to be rescued. They organised, educated themselves, and built over 200 credit unions from the ground up.
In this episode of Stories from the Co-op Evolution, we explore what made the Antigonish Movement powerful (and why it didn’t last).
How Emilia Romagna Built a Cooperative Economy When Everything was Taken from Them
This is an unbelievable story about the people of Emilia Romagna in Northern Italy.
From medieval communities taming rivers together, to farmers and workers rising after violence and subjugation to create the biggest co-operative economy in Europe today.
Mondragon – A Cooperative Community Where Workers Own Everything (Coming Soon)
Mondragon is a federation of worker cooperatives founded in 1956 in Mondragon, Spain, by a Catholic priest named José María Arizmendiarrieta.
Driven by a vision of social justice and worker empowerment, Arizmendiarrieta established a technical school and later encouraged workers to take over a failing local factory, forming the first cooperative, ULGOR (now FAGOR).
This marked the beginning of a unique model where employees own and govern their businesses, sharing profits and making decisions collectively.
Today, Mondragon is a global enterprise with over 260 companies and subsidiaries in 35 countries, employing over 75,000 people, and generating around $14 billion in revenue.