The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-16
On the
World Front
General Strike History
1926 in Britain
100000 Walked Out
By HARRY CANNES

! OTQSr U6IOI6na1lQ 10 DeSInlrCn
it, the capitalist press is all
ready dishing up the crudest
fables on the history Of the
/ general strike in other coun-
tries, particularly the historic Brit
ish general strike of 1926.
The New York Times, for ex-
ample, giving a hint TO the San
Francisco capitalists on how to or
ganize their Fascist bands under The
guise of the interests of the pubs
lic," declares that the British gen.
eral strike was broken by public
effort"
This is a lie out of the whole
cloth. It was the leaders of the
British Labor Party, the MacDon-
aids, Thomases and Hendersons,
along with the trade union bureau
Gratis, who stabbed the strike in the
back from the very beginning.
Their strike breaking deeds are
known in British history as
1ilC 04SdI oCJl dY d1s
OVER 100000 British workers en-.
" Enthusiastically determined, and
in the highest spirit of working
class solidarity remained out on
strike from May to May 10, 1926,
in support of the striking coal
miners.
Ever since 1921, British capitalism
had launched a Spearhead attack to
smash down the wages of the coal
miners, as an opening wedge to
lower the living standards of the
entire British working class. Nine
months before the general strike
was called, both the government
and the workers were preparing for
the action But at every stage of
the struggle the Labor Party and
trade union leaders sabotaged the
general strike, striving with might
and main to prevent it. When UNI
der the pressure of the masses, after
vote of 3,653,217 for the general
strike and 49,511 against, the lead
ers could no longer stave off action.
they worked with the government
night and day TO betray the strike.
THE revolutionary working class
l movement, represented by the
Communist Party and Minority
Movement in the trade unions, con-
centrated all its energy on warming
the workers against their betrayers,
and urging them to prepare for the
strike on the following program:
ID Unification of the trade union
command; ~ factory committees;
90 100 per cent trade unionisn;
"a agreement between trade unions
and co-operatives for supplies dur
ing the struggle; 90 workers de-
Tense corps against fascism; 90
propaganda to the soldiers and
sailors.
When the general strike finally
took place the leaders became
alarmed at the, enthusiasm with
which the workers joined in the
struggle. The mines, the docks, the
railways, the repair shops, the street
cars, the power houses, the printing
presses. were all deserted. Workers
not called out on strike joined the
walk out. The leaders complained
that they could not order anyone
to remain at work. The number OF
strikers increased every day. On
May IL, at the very height of the
strike, the government, after con-
sultation with Ramsey Macdonald
and others, declared the general
strike illegal" On May IL the
officials, to the dismay and con-
sternation of the workers, called
the general strike off, for fear that
it would succeed not only in its
objective of smashing the wage cut
for the miners, but that it might
have developed into an open revolu-
tionary struggle against British cap
italism.
IN May 5, Ramsay Macdonald,
v now British Premier, made a
cowardly and strike breaking speech
in the House of Commons against
the general strike, saying:
81 again ask this House if it can
not do it [resume negotiations]. I
am not speaking for the Trade
Unicn Congress at all. am speak
ing fer nobody. I have not con-
suited my colleagues. I am speak
ing from my own heart. I am not
a member of trade union, and
therefore am little freer than
some of my colleagues and do things
for which perhaps will get blamed
tomorrow by the trade unionists,
but cannot let this opportunity
60"
WHILE the British bourgeoisie had
w modified some 10000 "volun-
tecrs" all over England. mainly
among the sons of the exploiters, the
underworld and the students, to
scab on the workers, they were in
effective and could have been swept
aside had not the MacDonalds come
to their aid
The workers could hardly believe
their own eyes when they read the
order to return to work. Protest
demonstrations were held in front
of union headquarters, and in many
places, with workers clashing with
the police.
At no time were the workers de-
feated in struggle. They were
shamelessly betrayed from the top
and routed without a full test of
heir strength. Ever since, the
very leaders who sold out the strike
(and the capitalists) have tried to
use this betrayal as proof" that
the general strike is a failure as a
| weapon Of struggle.