. Source A is two graphs one of pay rates during 1919 to 1924 and the other graph is of the percentage of mines involved in accidents between 1919 and 1924 again. Both these graphs were produced in the 1970s.
We can learn from Source A that between 1919 and 1920 miners had a high rate of pay and accidents were fewer and less common, this was during the First World War when there were high hopes and promises of "Homes fit for Heroes", something that would later turn out to be a lie. This high rate of pay was during the war when the Government took over control of the mines to channel all raw materials into the War effort. The low accidents were during the time of War socialism. In 1920 there was a great depression, as the First World War ended and all the soldiers came home with great expectations as they had fought for their country, and some of the soldiers went back to the mines. There was not such a greater need for coal now as the First World War was over and it was not needed to power the Spitfire and gun making factories it did before. Before the First World War Britain was the major coal producing country and had few rivals, but after the First World War ended new markets opened up in Eastern Europe and they were able to produce cheaper coal, British Coal was now threatened. At this time the government decided to give back the mines back to the owners, who saw the only way to stay competitive was to decrease wages, as shown in the graph. But as we can see from the second graph, accidents increased when wages fell, this means that the owners did not reinvest the money into the mines. The main problem with this source is that it was produced in the 1970s, 50 years later than when these actual events occurred. Therefore the source is unlikely to be completely wrong, but we cannot trust it completely. If it was written in the 1970s it is unlikely to be one sided or biased.
2. Source A tells us that during the First World War the miners had a high rate of pay and few accidents, but after the First World War ended there was competition from mines in Eastern Europe which flooded the market with cheap coal, decreasing the selling price of British coal. The miners reduced pay and the number or accidents went up, as they did not reinvest the money in the mines, but kept it for themselves. All of these factors made the mining communities and families poorer and some of the family members died as a result of lack of investment in safety in the mines. Source B backs this up as we can clearly see that there area few men in the picture, but most are women or children, the youngest child gathering coal is about the age of 7. One or two of them have pickaxes and tools to gather coal with, but the fourteen that are left have to use their hands or a stick. All of them have blackened faces from mining coal, and nearly all of them especially the children would have some kind of lung or breathing problem. The have no masks for defence against the fumes. All their clothes are torn, worn out, and tattered. The picture was taken in the 1920s so is likely to be accurate and authentic.
We can learn from Source A that between 1919 and 1920 miners had a high rate of pay and accidents were fewer and less common, this was during the First World War when there were high hopes and promises of "Homes fit for Heroes", something that would later turn out to be a lie. This high rate of pay was during the war when the Government took over control of the mines to channel all raw materials into the War effort. The low accidents were during the time of War socialism. In 1920 there was a great depression, as the First World War ended and all the soldiers came home with great expectations as they had fought for their country, and some of the soldiers went back to the mines. There was not such a greater need for coal now as the First World War was over and it was not needed to power the Spitfire and gun making factories it did before. Before the First World War Britain was the major coal producing country and had few rivals, but after the First World War ended new markets opened up in Eastern Europe and they were able to produce cheaper coal, British Coal was now threatened. At this time the government decided to give back the mines back to the owners, who saw the only way to stay competitive was to decrease wages, as shown in the graph. But as we can see from the second graph, accidents increased when wages fell, this means that the owners did not reinvest the money into the mines. The main problem with this source is that it was produced in the 1970s, 50 years later than when these actual events occurred. Therefore the source is unlikely to be completely wrong, but we cannot trust it completely. If it was written in the 1970s it is unlikely to be one sided or biased.
2. Source A tells us that during the First World War the miners had a high rate of pay and few accidents, but after the First World War ended there was competition from mines in Eastern Europe which flooded the market with cheap coal, decreasing the selling price of British coal. The miners reduced pay and the number or accidents went up, as they did not reinvest the money in the mines, but kept it for themselves. All of these factors made the mining communities and families poorer and some of the family members died as a result of lack of investment in safety in the mines. Source B backs this up as we can clearly see that there area few men in the picture, but most are women or children, the youngest child gathering coal is about the age of 7. One or two of them have pickaxes and tools to gather coal with, but the fourteen that are left have to use their hands or a stick. All of them have blackened faces from mining coal, and nearly all of them especially the children would have some kind of lung or breathing problem. The have no masks for defence against the fumes. All their clothes are torn, worn out, and tattered. The picture was taken in the 1920s so is likely to be accurate and authentic.
