How far do these sources support the view that the General Strike was not an industrial dispute?

Authors Avatar

Part A: How far do these sources support the view that the General Strike was not an industrial dispute?

 The basis and cause of the General Strike are fairly ambiguous. It was mainly due to the bad working conditions suffered by the workers, especially in mines. Also, the relations between owners of various labour intensive businesses and trade union representatives had long been souring. The General Strike was started by the Trade Union Council (TUC) and was originally intended to be an industrial dispute, however it did have some political; and many different individuals and groups viewed the strike in different lights.

  Many of the government officials and MPs from the time wanted to make the strike seem as if it was a political dispute. Some argued that the entire idea of a ‘General Strike’ in itself made it a political act against the nation. Notably Sir John Simon in Source D goes so far as to say;

Join now!

‘A strike is a strike against employers to compel employers to do something, but a General Strike is a strike against the general public’

some, including the Prime Minister went further than this to call the general strike an ‘attack’. Baldwin’s speech has the tone of someone who is preparing for a war. He took a very melodramatic approach to addressing the nation about the General Strike saying such things as; ‘Constitutional government is being attacked’ not only that, but he went on to try to convince the people that it was an attack on all of the citizens within ...

This is a preview of the whole essay