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Labor Unrest in England, 1910–1914

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 February 2011

Ronald V. Sires
Affiliation:
Whitman College

Extract

During the last four years before the outbreak of war in 1914 the people of England experienced an unprecedented combination of political strife and labor unrest. The struggle over the budget of 1909 had led to a constitutional crisis over the powers of the House of Lords in 1910–1911; suffragettes were resorting to obstructive and exasperating tactics to win the vote for women; the question of home rule almost resulted in civil war in North Ireland and brought what amounted to a threat of dereliction of duty by high military officers, who could not contemplate the use of force against the opponents of home rule; while the restlessness of labor brought a series of massive strikes in which the rank and file of workers often broke from the discipline of their leaders.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © The Economic History Association 1955

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References

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29 This attitude is illustrated in a statement by the manager of a colliery. In a heated conversation with a Metropolitan police officer he said that the police from London were now sworn constables; that he had made a requisition for their services; and that they were his employees as long as he wished. Local police officers had in the past looked on mine managers as having a kind of authority over them. During the strike, a local police officer informed a military officer that by the kind permission of Mr. (a mine manager) a certain number of police had been drawn from the mine to the town.”–Parl, Pap., 1911, LXIV, cd. 5568, 25-26, 4849Google Scholar.

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43 One resolution (moved by Ben Tillett) called on the Parliamentary Committee of the T.U.C. to circularize the unions to get opinions on forming a national federation or confederation of trades. A similar resolution favored corresponding action by unions within specific industries. The discussion of it led to unpleasant remarks about the numerous competing unions ini the Sheffield cutlery trades.– T.U.C., 1910, pp. 122, 124–25Google Scholar.

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