GCSE · History · AQA · Spec 8145

General Strike 1926

In May 1926, transport workers, dockers and printers stopped work to back the coal miners. Nine days later, the miners were fighting on alone. How did that happen?

History · Cause & effect

From the coal mines to a national strike — and back again

Start at 1921 and tap each date in turn. What led here sits on the left; what followed sits on the right.

Causes ←

What led here

The unions' vote for a general strike to back the locked-out miners

The final trigger, according to The National Archives: Daily Mail printers would not print an editorial attacking the planned strike — and the government then declared the negotiations over

Event

The General Strike begins

3 May 1926

The strike began a minute before midnight on 3 May. Transport workers, dockers and printers were among those who joined. How many struck? The sources give different totals: The National Archives says over 1.5 million; the British Library says more than 1.7 million. Two sources, two figures — keep them separate.

→ Consequences

What followed

Nine days of strike, from 3 to 12 May

The government and the unions each took action to shape how it went — you'll sort out who did what next

Watch out: Two endings — don't mix them up. The General Strike ended on 12 May 1926. The miners' own dispute went on for months and only ended when they went back in November 1926.

Actions and reactions

Whose move was it?

Who took each action — the government or the trade unions?

Still to sort

The government (0)

Keeping the country running and winning the argument.

Where the line is: The government's moves used power the unions didn't have: soldiers, its own newspaper, control of paper supplies, and whether talks carried on.

The trade unions (0)

Starting, running and ending the strike.

Where the line is: The unions' moves were all about the strike itself — whether it happened, how strikers behaved, and when it stopped.

7 of 7 still to sort.

Pick an action, then choose who took it. Some of these are trickier than they look.

What was it really like?

Revolution — or something else?

Hear the words 'general strike' and it's easy to picture a whole country rising up together against the government.

Which is closest to what you think the General Strike was like?

It was a violent uprising — the strikers were trying to start a revolution.The whole country was behind the strikers.It was just the miners on strike.It was a strike to back the miners: violence was limited, and it deepened class divisions that were already there.

How sure are you?

I'm sureI think soI'm guessing

It was a violent uprising — the strikers were trying to start a revolution.

This is a common misconception

People at the time did fear a revolutionary uprising. But The National Archives judges that violence during the strike was limited and sporadic — it happened here and there, not everywhere. The unions told their members to avoid clashes and to let essential supplies through. And remember what it was for: the TUC called the strike to back the miners, whose employers wanted to cut their wages.

The whole country was behind the strikers.

This is a common misconception

Not everyone joined in. The government brought in thousands of volunteers to keep industry and public services going. The National Archives says most of them came from middle-class and upper-class backgrounds — including former servicemen and students — and that most drove vehicles or worked in power stations. In its judgement, some strikers' hostility towards the volunteers deepened class divisions that already existed in Britain.

It was just the miners on strike.

This is a common misconception

That's the story BEFORE 3 May — over a million miners were already locked out. The General Strike was the moment other workers joined them: transport workers, dockers and printers were among those who stopped work in support.

It was a strike to back the miners: violence was limited, and it deepened class divisions that were already there.

This matches the evidence

That matches the evidence. The strike was called to support the miners. The National Archives judges the violence limited and sporadic, and says that some strikers' hostility towards the mostly middle- and upper-class volunteers deepened class divisions that already existed.

Not a revolution, and not the whole country: a large strike in support of the miners, with limited violence, that deepened class divisions already there.

Your judgement

Was it a complete failure?

The claim

The General Strike was a complete failure.

Place each piece of evidence to load the balance. Mark the strong ones — they count double.

On 12 May the TUC ended the strike without any guarantee or concession for the miners.
Evidence 1: does it support or challenge the claim?SupportsChallenges
Strong evidence
The miners went back in November 1926 on lower pay and for longer hours (The National Archives).
Evidence 2: does it support or challenge the claim?SupportsChallenges
Strong evidence
The National Archives says the strike left the trade unions much weaker.
Evidence 3: does it support or challenge the claim?SupportsChallenges
Strong evidence
The Act passed the following year banned strikes in sympathy with other workers, and industrial action designed to put pressure on the government.
Evidence 4: does it support or challenge the claim?SupportsChallenges
Strong evidence
Both The National Archives and the British Library judge that the strike failed to achieve its aims.
Evidence 5: does it support or challenge the claim?SupportsChallenges
Strong evidence
Transport workers, dockers and printers joined the strike in support of the miners.
Evidence 6: does it support or challenge the claim?SupportsChallenges
Strong evidence
During the strike, transport stopped and food deliveries were held up (The National Archives).
Evidence 7: does it support or challenge the claim?SupportsChallenges
Strong evidence
The National Archives ranks it among the biggest and most important industrial disputes Britain has seen — a moment when workers from many industries stood together and showed that organised labour could disrupt the economy.
Evidence 8: does it support or challenge the claim?SupportsChallenges
Strong evidence

Exam-style practice

Write it, then mark it

Explain why the General Strike of 1926 was significant for workers' rights in Britain. [6 marks]

Your answer

0 words · your answer stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

The mark scheme

Says the strike was called to back the miners, whose employers were trying to cut their wages. (1 mark)
Shows how widely workers acted — e.g. transport workers, dockers and printers joined, and transport stopped. (1 mark)
Explains that the TUC ended it on 12 May without any guarantee or concession for the miners. (1 mark)
Explains that the miners went back in November 1926 on lower pay and for longer hours. (1 mark)
Explains that the Act passed the following year curbed union power by banning sympathy strikes and action aimed at pressuring the government. (1 mark)
Reaches a judgement using a named view with its source — e.g. The National Archives says the strike left the unions much weaker. (1 mark)

Model answer

The General Strike was significant for workers' rights because it showed both the power and the limits of workers acting together. It was called to back the miners against wage cuts, and transport workers, dockers and printers joined in, so that transport stopped. But the TUC ended it on 12 May with no guarantee or concession, and the miners went back in November 1926 on lower pay and for longer hours. Workers' rights were then cut back: the Act passed the following year banned sympathy strikes and industrial action aimed at the government. So although the strike showed what workers could do together, The National Archives says it left the unions much weaker.

Significance means consequences: say what changed for workers afterwards, and link it back to the strike.

WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED

A quick recap of today's lesson.

How a pay row in the coal mines stopped a country for nine days — and who came out worse.

What you need to know

How a pay dispute in the privately owned coal mines turned into a nine-day general strike in May 1926.
What the government and the trade unions each did during the strike.
How the strike ended, what happened to the miners and the unions afterwards, and how far it was a failure.

The big picture

The General Strike grew out of a pay dispute in the coal industry, which went back into private hands in 1921. A Royal Commission reported in March 1926 in favour of lower wages; the owners demanded pay cuts and an eight-hour day; talks broke down and over a million miners were locked out. The unions voted for a general strike, which ran from 3 to 12 May 1926. The TUC ended it without any concession, the miners fought on alone until hardship forced them back in November on worse terms, and an Act the following year curbed union power.

Key points

1The mines went back into private hands in 1921; the owners wanted lower pay and the MFGB resisted, backed by the TUC General Council.

2A Royal Commission on coal, set up in 1925 under Stanley Baldwin, reported in March 1926 against state ownership and for lower wages.

3The owners then demanded pay cuts and an eight-hour day from 1 May; when talks broke down, over a million miners were locked out.

4A special conference of trade unions voted for a general strike; it ran from a minute before midnight on 3 May to 12 May 1926.

5The government used the army, volunteers and The British Gazette; the unions told members to avoid clashes and let essential supplies through.

6The TUC ended the strike with no concession; the miners went back in November 1926 on lower pay and longer hours, and an Act the following year banned sympathy strikes.

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Worked example

Problem

Explain why the miners were worse off at the end of 1926 than when the General Strike began.

⚠ Watch out

Saying the General Strike won something for the miners, or that it ended when the miners went back to work. The General Strike ended on 12 May with no concession for the miners; their own dispute dragged on until November 1926, and they returned on worse terms.

🧠

Memory hook

Miners out → everyone out → everyone back → miners alone → miners back, worse off. Out, out, back, alone, back.

✓

Check yourself

No peeking: put these in order — the lockout, the TUC calling off the strike, the Commission's report, the miners' return, the unions' vote. Which came in November 1926, and on what terms?

Flashcards

(13)

When did the coal mines go back into private hands?

1921 — after being nationalised (owned by the state) during the war.

What was the MFGB, and what did it do?

The Miners' Federation of Great Britain. It resisted the mine owners' demand for lower pay, with backing from the TUC General Council.

What did the Royal Commission on coal recommend in March 1926?

It reported against returning the mines to state ownership, and in favour of lower wages. It had been set up in 1925 under Stanley Baldwin.

What did the mine owners demand after the Royal Commission reported?

Pay cuts and an eight-hour working day, from 1 May.

What happened to the miners when talks broke down?

Over a million miners found themselves locked out of work.

Who voted for the General Strike?

A special conference of trade unions — in support of the miners, to start on 3 May.

What was the final trigger for the strike, according to The National Archives?

Daily Mail printers would not print an editorial attacking the planned strike, and the government then declared the negotiations over.

When did the General Strike begin and end?

It began a minute before midnight on 3 May 1926 and ended on 12 May — nine days.

The British Gazette vs The British Worker — which was which?

The British Gazette was the government's newspaper, edited by Winston Churchill (Chancellor of the Exchequer). The British Worker was the TUC's paper — the government restricted it by taking control of its paper supply.

Who were most of the volunteers, according to The National Archives?

People from middle-class and upper-class backgrounds, including former servicemen and students. Most drove vehicles or worked in power stations.

What did the unions tell their members to do during the strike?

Avoid clashes, and let essential supplies through.

What did the Act passed the year after the strike ban?

Strikes in sympathy with other workers, and any industrial action designed to put pressure on the government. It curbed union power.

How does The National Archives describe the strike's importance?

Among the biggest and most important industrial disputes Britain has seen: workers from many industries stood together and showed that organised labour could disrupt the economy.

Tap any card to flip it, or use Study as deck to go through them one at a time. In the full lesson these run as a spaced-repetition deck — you rate each card Hard, Good or Easy and the tricky ones keep coming back until they stick.

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From the coal mines to a national strike — and back again

Whose move was it?

Revolution — or something else?

Was it a complete failure?

Write it, then mark it

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