Revisiting the General Strike

Revisiting the General Strike

Professor James Thompson, University of Bristol

The 1926 General Strike was a major event in British society during the 1920s. Economic times were tough in Britain after the First World War and there was a growing fear of Communism. The strike originated as an industrial dispute between the miners and the mine owners, over reduced pay for more hours work. When the Trades Union Congress (TUC) declared their support for the strike, other industrial workers walked out and it became the first ever General Strike for Britain. The strikers wanted to force the government to intervene and stop the mine owners from increasing their daily hours from 7 to 8 hours whilst reducing wages by 13%.