The General Strike, May 1926

by Christopher Farman

3 May 1926 - and the greatest strike in British history began; it last for only nine days, but in that time it shook the country's political and economic structure to the core, and echoes of the class bitterness it aroused reverberate to this day.

Christopher Farman brilliantly brings to life the leading protagonists in the struggle - Stanley Baldwin, Winston Churchill (thundering out denunciations in the British Gazette), Ernie Bevin, Jimmy Thomas, and the fiery miners' leader, Arthur Cook (a man 'drunk with his own words'). He also vividly portrays the daily life of the people during the strike - when hundreds of the middle-class in plus-fours flocked to mn the trams and trains, duchesses served tea to 'special constables', and police played strikers at football.

But was the strike really as non-violent as the King fondly believed? To what extent was it deliberately provoked by employers and ministers? How near did Britain come to revolution? Could the strike have succeeded? Christopher Farman strongly challenges traditional views in thsi enthralling, fully-documented account of the General Strike.

Genres: History

305 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1972

Reviews

[albie_of_nonfic]

An excellent general overview of the British General Strike of May 1926, the events leading up to it, and the immediate aftermath.

Doubtless there are more detailed works written specifically about particular regions / industries / unions, but this is an excellent work for orientating the reader to the fundamentals of the general strike.