The General Strike of 1926 was a defining moment for working class identity in the UK. It was one of the most significant events of the 20th century. The Baldwin Conservative government defeated the 4 million workers on strike and ushered in legislation which severely compromised productivity for the next 20 years. In 2026, in post Brexit, post industrial UK we can plot clear links to events of 100 years ago. The election of the Attlee Labour government in July 1945 before the end of World War II in the Pacific was a direct result of the fallout from the General Strike and industrial malaise 1926-1945.

DELIVERY MODE

• Face-to-Face

SUGGESTED READING

• Callum Cant and Matthew Lee, The Future in our Past, The General Strike of 1926-2026 (Verso, 2026)
• David Brandon, The General Strike 1926, A New History (Pen and Sword, 2023)

COURSE OUTLINE

• Working conditions in 1920s post World War I which led to the General Strike 1926, demands of strikers and their supporters
• Responses from the Conservative Baldwin government and capitalists, including the 1927 Trades Dispute and Trade Union Act of 1927 (later repealed 1946) and paranoia about "Bolshevism" especially by Churchill
• Impact in the short and long term of the General Strike on society and the class structure, parliamentary government, industrial production and the eventual election of the Attlee Labour government in July 1946.
• Links to 2026 and recent British history, especially the Labour Party under Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and recently, Sir Keir Starmer.