Trade Unionism - What were the Reasons for the Failure of the General Strike? Flashcards
The Role of the Government - What type of stance did Stanley Baldwin’s government take, EGs of this, what happened after the strike, and how was this different to previous strike action?
Stanley Baldwin’s gov took a no-negotiation stance – EG when Daily Mail printers refused to print an article which called the TUs unpatriotic, Baldwin ended negotiations – later, when the strike ended, he refused to compromise and guarantee no victimisation of the strikers by employers – this was very different to previous strike action, where there had been compromise on both sides
The Role of the Government - How did the gov prepare for the strike?
The gov had used 9 months to prepare by setting up the Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies, led by William Churchill, ready to operate during a General Strike
The Role of the Government - What was the significance of MacDonald’s Labs?
Parliamentary opposition of MacDonald’s Lab party, from which the TUC expected support, didn’t support the General Strike, though individual Lab MPs did sympathise – MacDonald saw it as a foolish decision rather than a serious tactic
The Role of the Government - How did the gov weaken the strike, how many special police officers were recruited, what jobs did people work in, why?
The gov weakened the strike by calling on middle-class citizens to fill the jobs of those on strike – 226,000 special police officers were recruited – others worked in electricity plants, driving lorries, and other key jobs – for some it was a way of opposing socialism, while for others it was simply an adventure
The Role of the Media - What was the irony with the media?
The media could have been a tool for the TUC, but ironically, the involvement of the printers’ union in the strike meant that few newspapers were printed – EG the pro-reform Guardian only being able to print a small number of single page editions – although this affected both sides, it hurt the TUC more
The Role of the Media - How did the gov take advantage of the media?
The gov took a more aggressive role – the Con Party used their journal, the British Gazette, to publish anti-strike propaganda – on the 7th of May, the gov brought up all supplies of paper, preventing any pro-TUC papers still in operation from printing
The Role of the Media - What did the gov attempt to do to the BBC?
Furthermore, it also attempted to dominate the BBC, but the media company defended its role as an independent broadcaster – it refused to take the gov’s side – nonetheless, the TUC resented deeply that they did not get much air time
The Role of the TUC - What did the TUC do with the miners and what was the General Council worried about?
The TUC led negotiations on behalf of the miners, yet failed to stand for their views – their leadership was confused and weak – the General Council was worried that a universal general strike would lead to violence and stronger gov opposition, and thus a loss of support from the workers – therefore, they attempted a two-wave strike but without the control needed to achieve this
The Role of the TUC - What happened as a result of the chaos, EGs
As a result of the chaos, local unions formed about 400-500 councils of action across the country, often with varying policies and support – in Yorkshire for example, particularly around coal mines, as well as urban centres like Halifax and Huddersfield, support was almost 100% - yet in other areas of Yorkshire such as Bradford and Leeds, support was far lower – London was divided – stronger TUC leadership might have created great unity
Public Opinion - What was the middle class reaction to the General Strike?
The middle-class public turned against the General Strike – the gov propaganda messages made the TUC look unreasonable
Public Opinion - What role did the fear of communism play in shaping public opinion?
There was a fear of communism – the Communist Party in the UK supported the strikes, which created a real fear of the TUC – several instances of violence against Communist supporters occurred – it was also embarrassing for the TUC when a large financial donation was sent from the Russian CP (though they returned it)
Public Opinion - What impact did strikers’ violence have?
The violence also destroyed the legitimacy of the strikers – EG on the 10th of May, strikers derailed the Flying Scotsman, a well-loved British train
Outcomes of the General Strike - What was the Trades Dispute Act?
- The Trades Dispute Act 1927
- To prevent another strike, the gov passed the Trades Dispute Act in 1927 which banned sympathetic strikes, meaning that future strikes would be limited to only the affected unions
Other Outcomes of the General Strike - What happened to the TUC and TU membership?
The TUC was completely weakened – membership fell from 5.5 million to 3.75 million – many workers no longer trusted industrial action
Other Outcomes of the General Strike - What was the reaction of the miners and what impact did this have?
The decision of the TUC was seen as a betrayal of the miners – relations between the trades were damaged
