Causes of the General Strike

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History- Causes of the General Strike

In this essay I will discuss the reasons for the start of the general strike, the long and short term causes.  In the 1920’s Britain was having a hard time on the industrial front.  It had begun with the miners, the coal industry wasn’t fairing to well and was declining rapidly and had been since 1918. This was because during the first world war the mines were run by the government and the conditions of the mines were good but also the wages were standardised which the miners had no problems with as the were very acceptable. As soon as the war was over the mines returned back to private ownership and cuts in wages were announced immediately. The fall in mining productivity was due to lack of demand for coal abroad and mining was under no doubt that it was now highly uneconomical.

Due to the rapid fall in production the mine owners announced to the workers that their wages were to be reduced.  The miners consequently went on strike to try and make the mine owners change their minds.  Then the miners formed a TRIPLE ALLIANCE with the railway workers and transport workers (the National Union or Railwaymen and General Workers Union).  The agreement said that under the triple alliance that the Railway union and the general workers union had to go on strike with the miners as a sympathy strike.  This would cause major problems for the owners of their respective industries.

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On Friday 15th April 1921, the General workers and the Railway workers refused to support the miners and stopped their workers going out on strike with them.  This was a bad day for the miners and was aptly named BLACK FRIDAY.  This was described as a disaster for themselves and other trade unionists.  The strike still went ahead as planned but was highly unsuccessful, the striking miners were defeated and then forced back to work but for substantially lower wages.

After this other workers in the shipyards, docks, building trade, cotton spinning, printing and on the railways were all forced to ...

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