The Coalfield, 1919 - 39

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Section A

The Coalfield, 1919 – 39

The inter-war period was a devastating time for the Welsh coal industry. One of the primary reasons for this was foreign competition, something that had, until then, been a minor factor.  Previously Wales had enjoyed something close to a monopoly in the coal industry, and now it was seriously challenged from abroad. Coal was now being produced in America, Belgium and Poland in large quantities, and (due to their superior efficiency) it was cheaper than Welsh coal. These foreign mines were partly mechanised, so they could produce coal faster and easier then the comparatively primitive Welsh mines.

They also had the advantage of a more stable industry. Poor working conditions and continually declining wages led to long strikes in 1921 and 1926, during which Wales lost much of its business to its overseas rivals. Between 1920 and 21 Britain’s overall coal exports had fallen by two thirds, and, as a result, collieries began to close rapidly.

Even as competition in the coal industry was becoming fiercer, global demand was in decline. The 1930s saw a considerable drop in world trade. Fewer ships were required, and many of those that were still necessary had begun to make use of oil as opposed to coal.

The result of all this was dreadful unemployment and consequently a decline in Welsh population (something that had not occurred for over one hundred years)

Unemployment in Wales reached its peak in ’32, with 165,000 out of work. Merthyr is an extreme example of this – in 1935 nearly half its population was redundant. This lack of work led to mass emigration, and from 1924 the population fell steadily to only 2.4 million in ’39. Many made for Slough and Sussex and some even headed for Australia.

Source A2

(Coal Production and Exports From South Wales)

Source A2 shows both coal output and export from south Wales for every year from 1920 to 36. It is undoubtedly very useful, as it shows the most clear, straightforward evidence (i.e. numbers) of the coal industry’s decline. We can assume it is fairly accurate as the information was presumably gathered in an official manner (by the Digest of Welsh Historical Statistics).

The fact that it was produced fairly recently, in 1985, is also in its favour. There is no   oobvious reason for bias, and it serves no purpose as propaganda. It is simply an objective recording of the information, and should therefore be reliable. The compilers also had greater resources and may have discovered things previously overlooked.

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It is, however, just a collection of numbers, and while it gives us a good impression of the state of the coalfield it does not tell us why this is so. All it tells us is that the coal industry was crumbling, and gives us a rough idea of the speed at which it was doing so. This means that it’s probably less information heavy then the majority of sources, but it is still very necessary to support them.          

Section B

Industrial Unrest and its Results

The fall of the ...

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