From Self-Employed Worker to Entrepreneur Construction Artisans in France from the 1930s to the 1970s

This article aims to trace the careers of building craftspeople within a body of craftspeople that developed and transformed during the twentieth century and of which building represented a major and increasing part. Until the middle of the century, building craftspeople were tradespeople, former workers who pursued their activity on their own behalf by working alone. By recruiting workers, investing, communicating, and so on, they became true contractors. However, they did this by following multiple paths, which led to diversified craft-based construction contracting.