The General Strike of 1926

The General Strike of 1926, which lasted from 11.59pm on 3 May 1926 until about 12.20pm 12 May 1926, is the most important industrial conflict in British history.

Almost 1,750,000 workers came out in support of a million miners who had been locked out for rejecting reductions in pay and conditions; it was a bitter dispute which divided the nation along sharp clashes lines. It was also a pivotal moment in the development of industrial relations and a major turning point in relations between the Communist Party and the TUC. Nevertheless, it was not an attempt at revolutionary change nor was it the trade union disaster it has been made out to be.

Join us for this public lecture by Professor Keith Laybourn, Visiting Professor in the School of Humanities, on the 1926 General Strike in it's centenary year.