General Strike 1926 Flashcards
The government (causes)
They put Britain back on the gold standard
Mine owners refused to increase wages
Mines put back under private control by government in 1921 which meant dirty and unsafe conditions
Sankey commission
Recommended increased pay and D creased hours
1919
Also recommended nationalisation of industry
Samuel commission
1925
Recommended radical reorganisation and temporary wage cut
The government didn’t nationalise and the mineowners ignored reorganisation
Baldwins fault
The government didn’t do enough to prevent the strike
Baldwin didn’t excite enough pressure on the mineowners also willingness to discuss with the TUC
Gave impression that the government wanted a fight with the unions
Emergency Powers act 1921
Red Friday
My name is suffered wage cuts between 13 and 48%
Increase in hours
Miners threatened to strike so the government set up the Samuel commission
Triple alliance
Mine is formed with railwayman and transport workers
Eventually split but cause everyone to get involved with the strike
Stubborn - ‘ Not a penny off the pay, not a second on the day’
The OMS
Organisation for the maintenance of supplies
Set up after red Friday by the government
100,000 volunteers mainly middle-class and university students
special constables maintained law and order unions argued that they would add to intimidate and crush strikers
Supplemented Armed Forces in moving essential supplies
Baldwins role in making the strike fail
So as a threat to the constitutional government
Put forward his views in speeches and newspaper articles
Turned issue away from miners grievances to the question of who ruled Britain
British gazette
Set up by government under Churchill’s editorship
Got across message to British people that the strike was an attempt to seize control
British worker
Put forward TUC’s view as a dispute concerning miners wages
The BBC
Supposed to be impartial but was criticised for reporting news favourable to the government and against strikers
The TUC’s role
Organise staged walk out of workers in key industries
Only started to prepare at the end of April
They hope that the government would backdown after the threat of strike like red Friday
The British worker came out too late because of printers being on strike
TUC was divided J H Thomas, president of NUR was against it. AJ Cook wanted to bring down the government
Miners leaders role
Herbert Smith was an uncommunicative Yorkshire man
AJ Cook was Welsh his speeches were fiery and intimidated public
Trade disputes act
1927
Restricted strike action
Trade unions were forbidden to be funded politically unless documented
To everyone else it seemed fair but to the TUC it seemed harsh
Key features of strike
May 1926
Coal iron steel chemical and newspaper industries stopped production
It lasted for nine days
The government sent soldiers and armoured cars to key places in London
Warships sent to reverse Clyde Tyne and Mersey
3 million workers
