Political extremism and stability in the IWYs 1918-1939 Flashcards
CPGB
set up in 1920, following successful 1917 Russian rev
-many intellectuals & LW writers felt communism was a new way forward/ building a new world.
-communism increased in pop following 1929 crash, -alternative to capitalism which couldn’t fix econ/unemployment/poverty.
-communist leaders of USSR secretly funded CPBG but it didnt lead to a strong/pop B communist movement.
-1 MP-1924 & 35; 2 MPs-1945
influence of CPGB
-influence outside of parl politics
-influenced local govt politics of Glasgow, Brum and east ldn where it organised rent strikes against exploitative landlords.
-influenced TU movement where communist activists worked in leading positions representing miners, electricians & firemen.
-CPBG-big role in NUWM-tried to mobilise unemployed, 50,000 members-early 1930s.
-newspaper-‘daily worker’ -sold 80,000 copies per day & Left book club-50,000 members.
Labour parties opposition to CPGB
-lab party monopolised w/c politics-20th c
-fought against influence of communism esp. Attlee and TUs-Bevin.
-refused lab to become affiliated w communism despite CPGB requests.
-refused to join a ‘popular front’ alliance w communists.
attraction of communism
-unemploy & disallusionment w 2nd lab govt increased interest.
-grew in 1930s-rise of fascism-Hitler & Mussolini. -communism seemed only force willing to fight fascism.
govt response to communism
-police kept a close eye on them (surveillance) but not a large threat.
-incitement to disaffection act-1934-anyone advocating rev/ political violence faced persecution under the act.
-didn’t stop growth of communist sympathisers in unis
-USSR recruited M15/M16 agents.
BUF
-created by Oswold Mosley in 1932, following a visit to fascist Italy.
-at 1st he copied style of Mussolini -black uniforms but by 1936 he modelled himself on Hitler and the Nazis. (became increasingly anti-Semitic)
aims of BUF
-wanted to create a fascist state that replaced parl
-argued for state intervention to reverse slump & mass unemployment.
-wanted to fight communism.
support for BUF
-support from daily mail-headline ‘hurrah for the black shirts’
-had 50,000 members by 1934 & organised fascist camps at the seaside.
-support-strongest in London & northern cities, typical recruits-w/c backgrounds.
-but his speeches offered easy & unrealistic solutions of protectionism
-so membership declined to 5000-1935, mainly anti-Semitic thugs.
methods of BUF
-never ran an electoral campaign so no MPs
-lacked sufficient funding & became associated w street politics, violence & fighting.
-always confronted by socialist/communist opp & turned violent when anti-fascists fought the BUF. e.g -violence at rally in ldns Olympia-1934
-battle of cable st.- east ldn-1936 -east end Jewish community fought street battle w BUF.
reaction and success of BUF ?
associated w violence, racism and Hitler-enemy-meant its membership declined & it lost political support. e.g -daily mail withdrew support-1934.
-public order act 1936-forbade wearing uniforms & controlled public meetings. -2 of their popular tools.
BUT- unnecessary as parl system & monarchy remained strong and fascism had little support from public.
-upturn in econ from 1934 removed any remaining support for the BUFs econ policies.
-by mid 1930’s -many ppl didn’t treat Mosely seriously -vain caricature of Hitler.
TU militancy
-growth of TUs in WW1 meant militant strikes in 1st decade of IWYs
-in 1921 days lost to strikes grew to 84m days.
-strikes -wages, conditions & recognition of TUs by employers
-Jolly George- 1920 -dockers refused to load the ship w arms to fight the Bolsheviks-supporters of the oct revolution.
-Red cylde-red flag & troops -thought it was communism but really a stike abt working conditions & Gasgow Trades Council demanded less hrs at work to allow for employment of the unemployed.
-intervention of troops to end the strike.
-most militant-coal miner strikes- exploited by owners -poor industrial relations, strikes & lockouts
black friday -1921
-pre-war Triple Alliance of railway, coal and dock workers appeared to threaten the possibility of a general strike- country would grind to a halt if these unions went on strike
reasons for the strike
-De-control measures returned mines to private ownership.
-return to gold std.- coal X -expensive & high I.Rs discouraged investment in the mines-outdated production techniques.
-loss of govt subsidy & global slump in coal caused by over-production meant prices declined dramatically – govt refused to nationalise the mines, meant wage cuts &
employers insistence on longer hours.
-Owners ‘locked out’ miners until they
accepted their demands = national coal strike and the use of Emergency powers Act to send troops to S wales.
-But: the transport workers and dockers declined to support the mineworkers’ strike on Friday 15 April 1921 due to fears of a long open-ended strike.
-so miners unsuccessfully went on strike for 3 months until they were starved back to work and forced to accept a 20% pay cut and longer hours.
general strike 1926
-Baldwin -sankey commission-consider demands & supplied govt sub to halt wage cuts whilst talks were commencing.
-commission agreed w the cuts & rejected nationalisation
-print workers refused to print daily mails anti-union front page
-general strike- may 1926 & lasted 9 days
-the OMS ran railways and other industries in strike breaking activities, media portrayed strike as an attack on democracy.
-the TUC had only reluctantly called the strike & looked to end it so they did without gaining guarantees for the miners
-miners then struck alone -6 months but were forced back to work
-Trade Disputes Act 1927 followed which outlawed sympathy strikes (strikes in support of other strikes), mass picketing, banned civil servants from joining a TUC-linked union and forced unions to opt-in to the political levy supporting the Labour Party -reducing Labour’s income
by 1/3.
-miners & militant syndicalism-destroyed by the govt
-strikes decreased dramatically after the act
consequences
-no. of workers in strikes/lock outs was 2.75m in 1926 but by 1939 it had decreased to 308,000.
-TUs began to restrict the use of strikes
in negotiations with employers
abdication crisis
-1937
-King Edward VIII proposed to marry divorcee, American Wallis Simpson
-threatened the status quo but Baldwin insisted on the abdication
-supported by lab & church
-only 44 mps supported Edward & succession of his brother went smoothly.
-Anglo-Irish relations=peaceful following 1921 treaty.
