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USSR > BRITAIN Trade union militancy 1915-27 PART 2 > Flashcards

BRITAIN Trade union militancy 1915-27 PART 2 Flashcards

1
Q

When did the government become increasingly sophisticated at dealing with industrial disputes?

A

1919-21

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2
Q

When had the trade unions lost much of their wartime influence?

A

By 1921

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3
Q

After the initial post-war economic boom, when was Britain struggling to recapture trade markets it had dominated in 1914?

A

By 1920

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4
Q

Which European industrial regions had been particularly damaged by the war?

A

France; Germany

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5
Q

Why was there a post-war economic boom in Britain initially?

A

Much of Europe was in economic ruins; peacetime demand for industrial products was high

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6
Q

Why was post-war British industry found to be noncompetitive before long?

A

Increased pay and reduced hours that British industrialists had won during war; high costs of production

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7
Q

When was the government forced to seize a South Wales coalfield in response to declining coal production?

A

December 1916

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8
Q

Why did the government seize a coalfield in South Wales during wartime?

A

To eliminate employers’ profits and disputes and increase efficiency

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9
Q

When was coal production nationalised?

A

March 1917

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10
Q

What piece of legislation naitonalised coal production?

A

Defence of the Realm Act

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11
Q

How much did the government increase wages for coal miners by in September 1917?

A

1 shilling and 6p a day

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12
Q

When did the government raise coal miners’ wages again?

A

July 1918

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13
Q

When did it become apparent to employers that the industrial system of 1914 was gone?

A

1919

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14
Q

When did the government give up control of the coal mines and railways?

A

1921

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15
Q

How had Britain’s railways been changed by the war?

A

Made more efficient, with state planning rationalising rolling stock and track

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16
Q

Who did the increased efficiency of the railways convince that nationalisation could continue post-war?

A

James Thomas; MFGB’s President Robert Smillie

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17
Q

When did Thomas negotiate with the government to ensure that railway wages would not be severely reduced?

A

March 1919

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18
Q

When did Thomas call a strike in protest of the government’s refusal to make a permanent settlement of the continuation of wartime bonuses?

A

September 1919

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19
Q

Why was the 1919 strike not as successful as it could have been?

A

Not supported by miners and transport workers

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20
Q

What were the miners waiting for during the 1919 strike that made them hesitant to join the action?

A

A government commission to report on the future of their industry

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21
Q

Why didn’t the miners take part in the 1919 strike?

A

Already won a 2 shilling pay rise (about 20% of total wages) in 1919

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22
Q

When was the Sankey Commission formed?

A

1919

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23
Q

Who was the chairman of the Sankey Commission?

A

Labour lawyer and judge John Sankey

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24
Q

What did the Sankey Commission do?

A

Removed the immediate threat of coal strikes between 1919-21

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25
Q

Why did Lloyd George set up the Sankey Commission?

A

To avoid industrial strikes against the government

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26
Q

When did Lloyd George’s coalition government return the coal industry to private owners?

A

March 1921

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27
Q

What did the Sankey Report recommend?

A

Mines should remain nationalised

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28
Q

How long did it take for employers in the coal mines to announce cuts to wages after industry had been privatised again?

A

A day

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29
Q

What did pay for coal miners fall by in 1921?

A

30%

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30
Q

When was Black Friday?

A

15 April 1921

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31
Q

Who was in favour of supporting the miners’ 1921 strike but had to protect his own union?

A

Ernest Bevin of the NTWF

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32
Q

What was Black Friday 1921?

A

Leaders of the transport and railway unions ordered workers not to strike in sympathy with the miners

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33
Q

Who did the MFGB single out as responsible for the betrayal of Black Friday?

A

Robert Williams of the NTWF; James Thomas of the NUR

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34
Q

What did the NUR and the NTWF accuse the MFGB of during Black Friday?

A

Wanting support but refusing the rail and transport factions of the Triple Alliance a part in government negotiations

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35
Q

When were the miners of the Black Friday strikes forced back to work due to hunger?

A

By the end of 1921

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36
Q

What led to the collapse of the Triple Alliance?

A

Black Friday 1921

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37
Q

What did the collapse of the Triple Alliance lead to?

A

Decline in industrial unrest

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38
Q

How many days of work were lost to industrial disputes in 1923 compared to 1921?

A

Sunk from 85,870,000 to 10,670,000

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39
Q

What have Marxist and left-wing historians argued about post-war unrest?

A

Result of the reduced legitimacy of the capitalist system in the eyes of workers

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40
Q

What replaced the Defence of the Realm Act?

A

Emergency Powers Act (EPA) of October 1920

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41
Q

What did the EPA allow the government to do?

A

Declare a national state of emergency in times of severe industrial unrest

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42
Q

When was the EPA invoked?

A

Before Black Friday, with troops being deployed into areas likely to be the sites of strikes

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43
Q

When did the government build up an effective anti-strike apparatus?

A

1919

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44
Q

What did the Industrial Unrest Committee become?

A

Strike Committee

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45
Q

Who led the Strike Committee?

A

Ex-railway manager Eric Geddes

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46
Q

When did the government appoint the Industrial Unrest Committee?

A

February 1919

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47
Q

Why was the Strike Committee not needed in the strikes of 1919?

A

Failure of Triple Alliance to work together

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48
Q

What was the name of the Strike Committee changed to in October 1919?

A

Supply and Transport Committee (STC)

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49
Q

How many times did the STC meet between October 1919- November 1921?

A

46

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50
Q

Why was Geddes unhappy with his role on the STC?

A

Convinced that it was not the position of the government to orchestrate strikebreaking

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51
Q

When was Geddes reappointed as chair of the STC, despite his previous resignation?

A

1920

52
Q

Why did Geddes originally resign from his role as chair of the STC?

A

Believed the government should be neutral

53
Q

What did Geddes dislike about the STC?

A

Its secrecy; emphasis on using the military; avoidance of conciliatory measures for disputes

54
Q

How did the STC attempt to reduce the impact of strikes?

A

Made plans to recruit volunteers to replace striking labourers in essential services; oversaw a co-operation between the government and businesses to stockpile resources

55
Q

What did the STC establish to provide a structure of volunteer response to strikes?

A

Volunteer Service Committee (VSC)

56
Q

What did the government work with in 1919 to maintain fuel reserves?

A

British Petroleum Company

57
Q

How did the STC reduce the impact of Black Friday?

A

Halted coal exports; put troops on alert; called a state of emergency

58
Q

When did the cabinet review the Black Friday 1921 strike and conclude that the STC had prevented the general strike spreading?

A

16 April 1921

59
Q

When was the STC disbanded as a cost-saving measure?

A

August 1921

60
Q

When was the STC revived?

A

1923

61
Q

Who revived the STC?

A

Britain’s top civil servant, John Anderson

62
Q

What did Bevin want to replace the previous loose Triple Alliance with?

A

Centralised structure for industrial militancy co-ordination

63
Q

When was a new General Council of the TUC formed to counter the government and employers’ relentless attacks on wages and hours?

A

1921

64
Q

When did the General Council of the TUC secure the support of the NUR and MFGB?

A

By 1924

65
Q

What replaced the NTWF?

A

Transport and General Workers’ Union (TGWU)

66
Q

Who believed that the General Council was a permanent alliance?

A

Only Bevin and the TGWU

67
Q

When was the NTWF replaced?

A

1922

68
Q

How was Bevin connected to the TGWU?

A

General Secretary

69
Q

When was the ASE formed?

A

1851

70
Q

What does ASE stand for?

A

Amalgamated Society of Engineers

71
Q

When did the ASE become the AEU?

A

1920

72
Q

What does AEU stand for?

A

Amalgamated Engineering Union

73
Q

Why was the ASE so financially powerful?

A

Represented respectable skilled workers who were able to pay one shilling a week to their union

74
Q

Why did the ASE deter employers from pushing their workers into strikes?

A

Its financial strength

75
Q

What had the Labour Party formed the Council of Action in response to?

A

Risk of Britain entering into a war with Soviet Russia in August 1920

76
Q

How many local Councils of Action had been formed along with the primary one?

A

350

77
Q

What was the Council of Action supposed to do?

A

Co-ordinate opposition to any attempt by the British government to aid Poland’s war effort

78
Q

What did the Council of Action succeed in doing?

A

Raising extensive public opposition to intervention in the Polish conflict

79
Q

What is evidence that the Council of Action succeeded in raising opposition to war with Soviet Russia?

A

6,000 protesters opposing the war gathered in London in October 1920

80
Q

What is an example of a more radical Council of Action?

A

Birmingham council

81
Q

What did the Birmingham council recommend?

A

That the nations’ councils address questions of unemployment and oppose business profits

82
Q

When were the Councils of Action largely confined to opposing military aid for Poland?

A

1920-21

83
Q

When did the Council of Action begin to lose popular support?

A

By 1921

84
Q

When did the Polish secure victory over the Soviets and ensure their independence?

A

1921

85
Q

What did the Polish secure their independence in?

A

Peace of Riga

86
Q

What did the Councils of Action do post-1921?

A

Performed a propagandist role in the labour movement; provided an infrastructure for co-ordinating future industrial conflict

87
Q

Why were the Councils of Action never a real revolutionary threat to the state?

A

Few trade unionists/Labour supporters conceived of these councils as a revolutionary movement

88
Q

When did trade union militancy collapse?

A

1921-26

89
Q

When did tensions in the coal mining industry mean that it was once again in confrontation with the government?

A

1925

90
Q

When was an all-out general strike called by the TUC?

A

Spring of 1926

91
Q

What are the reasons for the failure of the General Strike of 1926?

A

Lack of organised workers’ support; efficient organisation of the government; lack of determination from TUC General Council

92
Q

What were the long-term causes of the General Strike?

A

Changing industrial relations post-WW1; fall in production and price of coal; rising trade union discontent post-Black Friday; determination of mine owners to maintain profits; 1925 return to gold standard and overvalued strength of £

93
Q

How much did British workers’ wages fall by on average between 1921-25?

A

£12 million per week

94
Q

Rather than increasing British competition, what did the wage cuts of 1921-26 do?

A

Reduced home demand for products and domestic spending, which further increased unemployment

95
Q

What kept international coal prices low after WW1?

A

Increased competition from German and American mines

96
Q

Why were low international coal prices abated between 1923-25?

A

French seized control of German mines in the Ruhr; American miners went on strike

97
Q

What happened to British trade between 1921-25?

A

Stagnated; demand for coal declined; unemployment hit one million

98
Q

Who was Chancellor of the Exchequer between 1924-29?

A

Winston Churchill

99
Q

What recommended in 1918 that Britain needed to return to the gold standard within 7 years?

A

Cunliffe Committee

100
Q

What was the £ set to in 1925?

A

Value of $4.86- pre-war level

101
Q

Who initially supported the return to the gold standard?

A

Economist John Maynard Keynes

102
Q

What did Keynes later say about the return to the gold standard in 1925?

A

Strangled the British economy; triggered a global recession

103
Q

What did the gold standard do?

A

Created deflation- wages fell; unemployment increased

104
Q

Why did the return to the gold standard cause so many problems?

A

British economy was too weak to support such a strong pound

105
Q

Which industry was hit especially hard by the return to the gold standard?

A

Coal

106
Q

Why were the coal miners encouraged that their wages might be protected by the government during the economic struggles of 1925?

A

Dispute in the textile industry was resolved by a government commission recommending that textile wages remain constant

107
Q

What were the immediate causes of the General Strike of 1926?

A

Coal conflict of July 1925; subsequent breakdown of industrial relations

108
Q

What had coal mine owners attempted to do in June 1925 under financial pressure?

A

Abolish 1924 minimum wage agreement

109
Q

What had the 1924 minimum wage agreement specified?

A

Profits on 87% of all coal sold would constitute miners’ wages

110
Q

Under the financial strains of 1925, what were the coal mine owners looking to do to improve profits?

A

Cut wages by 13%; increase daily working hours from 7 to 8

111
Q

What did miners and owners agree on in July 1925?

A

Rejection of judgement of court of inquiry proposed to look into their dispute; government subsidy of Red Friday

112
Q

How did PM Baldwin approach the coal conflict of July 1925?

A

Negotiation- offered a 9-month government subsidy of £23 million to support miners’ wages

113
Q

When was ‘Red Friday’?

A

31 July 1925

114
Q

What did Baldwin appoint alongside his promise of a government subsidy for coal miners?

A

Samuel Commission

115
Q

What was the Samuel Commission supposed to do?

A

Investigate the coal industry; provide a long-term solution to the crisis

116
Q

Why did Red Friday intensify the slide towards a general strike?

A

Subsidy encouraged hope that capitalism might quickly be replaced with socialism

117
Q

Who was surprisingly critical of the Red Friday subsidy?

A

Ramsay Macdonald

118
Q

Which organisations both recruited middle- and upper-class volunteers to combat strike action before the General Strike of 1926?

A

Economic League; Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies (OMS)

119
Q

When did the government believe that it was ready for any industrial militancy?

A

By February 1926

120
Q

What did the Samuel Commission recommend about the coal industry?

A

Coal industry should be rationalised; government should continue manipulating coal revenues; temporary wage reduction; coal industry should not be nationalised

121
Q

When was the Samuel Commission completely rejected by both miners and owners?

A

March 1926

122
Q

When did things escalate just prior to the General Strike of 1926?

A

29 April- owners locked out miners who refused to accept wage reductions

123
Q

When did the TUC vote for a general strike in sympathy with the miners?

A

1 May 1926

124
Q

When did the General Strike of 1926 commence?

A

3 May 1926

125
Q

Why was Baldwin unable to back down in the General Strike of 1926?

A

Pressure from hardline anti-trade union Conservatives in the cabinet

126
Q

What was the final push in launching the General Strike of 1926?

A

OMS poster calling for recruits during government-TUC negotiations

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