the general strike
TRANSCRIPT
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