Why Did The General Strike Fail

Question 1

On what date did printers stop printing?

Answer 1

May 3rd, 1926.

Question 2

What day did the General Strike begin (Think: Luke, I am your father)?

Answer 2

May 4th, 1926.

Question 3

Who took part in the GS?

Answer 3

Miners, railwaymen, dockers, road transport workers, printers and gas and electricity workers. Shipbuilders and engineers striked a week later.

Question 4

When was the GS called off?

Answer 4

12th May.

Question 5

What were miners forced into work by?

Answer 5

Hunger and poverty.

Question 6

What did every miner return to?

Answer 6

Longer hours and smaller wages - 13% docked.

Question 7

How had the TUC failed workers?

Answer 7

By refusing to negotiate as a united body with the Gov.

Question 8

As a representative body the TUC were largely …

Answer 8

Discredited.

Question 9

How much money did the TUC exhaust?

Answer 9

4 million pounds (meager).

Question 10

What did Union membership drop to?

Answer 10

8.3 million in 1920 to 5.3 million in 1933.

Question 11

When was the Trades Disputes Act?

Answer 11

1927.

Question 12

What did the Trades Disputes Act entail?

Answer 12

Banned sympathetic strikes.

Question 13

Who had never wanted a strike?

Answer 13

The TUC.

Question 14

What had the TUC hoped?

Answer 14

That Baldwin would back down like he had in Red Friday and offer another subsidy.

Question 15

Did the TUC have detailed preparations?

Answer 15

No. They only had hurried ones on the eve of the strike.

Question 16

Was there a lot of support from other unions?

Answer 16

No. It wasn’t a ‘General Strike’ as only selected unions were called out.

Question 17

Did everyone strike?

Answer 17

No. In some areas, people ignored it and just continued working.

Question 18

Was the Gov. well prepared?

Answer 18

Yes.

Question 19

What had given the Gov. more than a year to prepare?

Answer 19

1925 Red Friday.

Question 20

When was the Emergency Powers Act?

Answer 20

1920.

Question 21

How did the Gov. use the Emergency Powers Act?

Answer 21

It allowed for the formation of the ORGANISATION FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF SUPPLIES (OMS) which created a national network of voluntary workers.

Question 22

What did the Gov. use to campaign against miners?

Answer 22

Highly effective propaganda.

Question 23

What did Winston Churchill do?

Answer 23

Created the ‘British Gazette’.

Question 24

How many copies did the ‘British Gazette’ sell a day?

Answer 24

Over 2 million copies.

Question 25

Was there much support from the public?

Answer 25

There was sympathy, but little active support or funding.

Question 26

Who did volunteers tend to support?

Answer 26

The Gov.

Question 27

Who did the BBC support?

Answer 27

Officially neutral, but was careful to not say anything critical of the Gov. or supportive of the workers.

Question 28

How many workers were willing to support the miners to the very end?

Answer 28

Very few.

Question 29

How many strikers were radicals intent on class war?

Answer 29

Very few.