The 1926 British General Strike

[Zanthorus]

Stumbled across a book on this in my local library, 'A Very British Strike' by Anne Perkins. The Author's politics are questionable, but so far a lot of the information has been very interesting in terms of the role of even 'Old Labour' in sabotaging workers' struggles.

Just wondering what else I can read on this subject, I'm sure most British left groups will probably have some article lying around about the strike. Any interesting information or opinions on the strike would be welcome also.

[IndependentCitizen]

I could never find any information about British worker struggles, it's as though they're being hidden, but fuck knows.

[Zanthorus]

I could never find any information about British worker struggles, it's as though they're being hidden, but fuck knows.

There's a torrent of pieces about 'lessons of the miners' strike' online by left groups. Some other stuff you might want to check out that I've come across are 'Bloody Friday'/The Battle of George Square which was a general strike in Glasgow that broke out into a riot, and the Jolly George incident when London dockers refused to load a ship carrying arms to Poland which were intended to be used against the Bolsheviks. During the struggle 'Councils of action' were formed which were regarded as embryonic soviets.

[Barry Lyndon]

There's a lot of Trotskyist literature about how the Stalinists 'betrayed' the 1926 strike. Something I don't actually doubt, given their record in Spain and China, but I haven't found much in the way of specifics.

[Devrim]

Libcom gives this list for 'further reading':


libcom's guide to further reading around the UK general strike of 1926.



On Britain - Trotsky
Writings on Britain - Trotsky (3 Vols.)
Marxism and Trade Union Struggle: The General Strike of 1926 - Cliff/Gluckstein (SWPGB)
The General Strike - Skelley, Ed.
The General Strike - J. Symons
Nine Days - A.J. Cook
British Socialism - Anthony Wright
Communism in Britain - Woodhouse/Pearce

I have read a few things on it. I think actually it is quite well covered.

Devrim

[Jolly Red Giant]

another one - Peter Taaffe wrote a book on the 1926 General Strike in 2006.

I also have the book on the General Strike by Julian Symons which is a pretty good historical account.