The Era Of The Great War #20: Red Clydeside Flashcards
Why were authorities in Glasgow worried when workers started to protest?
They feared a revolution would be started in Scotland, as had happened with the Communist revolution in Russia
What was ‘dilution’ and why was it a concern for workers?
Where work previously done by skilled workers would be carried out by semi-skilled and unskilled workers
What was the effect of DORA on these workers?
Their working week was set to 57 hours.
What did the workers want?
- work week of 40hours
- increase in pay to £1 a day
What was the Munitions of War act (1915)?
This allowed the government to control working hours, staff and wages in industries involved in the war effort
What happened with the introduction of conscription in 1916?
skilled workers feared that they would be put under army control and sent to factories to do war work but with worse conditions and wage cuts.
When was a strike called?
27 Jan 1919
When was a strike called?
27 Jan 1919
What happened when this strike ended on the 31st?
The Battle of George Square (AKA Black on Bloody Friday)
What did Tory newspapers report around this time?
That the Communist revolution in Russia and the attempted revolution in Germany was the end of civilisation and that wealthy middle-class people would be murdered in their beds
Why did the middle classes turn to the tories?
- they had proven they were opposed to revolution through scaremongering
- as middle class people, they were unaffected by DORA and its implications on workers as they were already comfortable
- therefore, they saw no need for striking and saw the Tory reaction as a good thing
Government reaction to Bloody Friday
- rushed 12,000 English troops to Glasgow in case a revolution broke out
- Scottish troops were locked in their barracks at Maryhill in case they supported the strikers
- There were tanks in George Square and machine-gun posts in buildings around the area.
What happened on Bloody Friday?
running battles broke out between the police and strikers between George Square and Glasgow
Green
How many attended the Bloody Friday demonstration?
90,000
Was a revolution ever really going to happen? Why not?
No. Within a week of the riot, the workers had returned to work, agreeing to a 47-hour week
