the general strike

Causes of the General Strike

Actions of the workers• Due to foreign competition, there was

massive wage cuts

• There was high risks and bad health conditions in the working industry, along with a high death rate which led many to want change.

• The workers had support from the TUC and the Triple Alliance. This backing support saw the right opportunity for the workers to go on strike with their demands

• However despite this, the current right-wing government did not have sympathy regarding these issues

Problems in the industry (mining)

• Due to alternate oils and the Dawes plan in 1924, there was less demand for British Coal

• Due to foreign competition and failure to modernise methods of production made the industry vulnerable

• The introduction of the Gold Standard also harmed profits and sales

• There was an overall state of bad working conditions

Causes of the General Strike

British Economy• As a result of ww1 Britain’s role in

international trade had been diminished

• Britain was currently in £1billion of debt

• Strong competitive action from abroad

• Inflation was caused by selling off British assets for debt

• Mass unemployment

• Government rates increased the Gold standard

• British staple industry including coal, cotton and shipbuilding were already vulnerable due to failure in modernising its production

• Non-military trades were neglected during ww1

Government action• Conservative government at the time

• They over-valued the £1 by 10%, which strongly affected the working class

Samuel Commission/Red Friday

• The commission made the workers believe they were winning their cause

• However in reality the government were using the time to prepare to oppose a strike and weaken the unions to ensure this wouldn’t happen again

THE STRIKE!..and its failure

• Baldwin’s government had spent 9 months of the period of subsidy of miner’s wages preparing for the imminent strike (i.e building up resources to lessen the damage to the economy)

• Emergency services and OMS was efficient and kept supplies and services running

• Law and order was maintained well by the government, with little to none outbursts of violence

• The Government was successful in using the radio to tackle the strike. They stated that the General strike was a challenge to the constitution, which worried the TUC as they were afraid of being targeted as communist.

• Churchill was also allowed to produce a government newspaper which attacked the strike

The Consequences

• Men who supported yung families were forced back into work due to hardships

• The majority of miners were back in work by November

• Many unemployed who got back into work had to accept longer hours with lower wages

• The 1927 Trade Disputes and Trade Union act was passed, which made all sympathetic strikes ILLEGAL, FORBADE civil service unions affiliating with the TUC. It also made mass picketing ILLEGAL