General Strike: Day by Day

by Keith Laybourn

The General Strike of 1926 was the most important industrial dispute in British history. Almost 1,750,000 came out in support of about a million miners who had been locked out for rejecting reductions in pay and conditions. For nine days, from 3-12 May, Britain ground almost to a halt. A few trains and buses ran, but only when driven by volunteers from the anti-strike middle and upper classes. Food supplies needed, in many cases, to be protected by armed police and military units. This text examines the main debates about the causes, events and consequences of the strike. Using diaries and original documents and illustrations to show the changing attitude of the Government, the TUC, the employers, the Labour Party, the Liberals and the Communist Party of Great Britain, the author provides a vivid account of events before, during and after the "nine days in May".

192 pages, Paperback

First published August 7, 2002

About the author

A specialist in British working class and labour history during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Keith Laybourn FRHistS FHEA is Diamond Jubilee Professor of the University of Huddersfield.