The Wave of Militant Strike Action Was the Most Serious Threat to the Liberal Government Between 1910 and 1914
- Submitted by: Alsace
- Views: 114
- Category: History: European
- Date Submitted: 02/16/2016 01:30 PM
- Pages: 4
- Report this Essay
In the years between 1910 and 1914 the wave of militant strike action was indeed the most serious threat to the Liberals as it shook the nation to its very core. As a result of these strikes, Britain itself faced economic disaster as the workers went on strike not motivated by working conditions or pay but instead to show the owners and politicians that they were a force to be reckoned with and as a result in 1913 alone 40 million days’ worth of Labour was lost as a result.
However, the militant strike action was not the only problem Britain faced during these years, one such problem that they faced was the return of Suffragette militancy in 1911. As 1910 came it seemed to everyone that the Suffragettes would simply fade away as Emmline Pankhurst announced a truce and that all militant action was going to be suspended following the Liberal government’s promise of a Conciliation Bill, this truce lasted until November 1910, where it became apparent that the Bill would fail because the government would not allow it on time.
Following this an event known as ‘Black Friday’ occurred where police interrupted a Suffragette march and beat them under instructions not to arrest any of them. With this came a much heavier slew of militancy than previously as they began breaking windows on a much larger scale including 10 Downing street and a large amount in the West end of London’s shopping area. The Suffragettes also put mass hunger strikes into place as they refused to eat once arrested in an attempt to martyr themselves, in response to this the government was forced to pass the ‘Temporary discharge for Ill-Health act’ which allowed them to temporarily release Suffragette members and rearrest them at a later date when they had recovered. The other things the Suffragettes did was more vandalism including Arson and pouring acid on golf courses in an attempt to cow the government into submission
The rise in militant strike action was undoubtedly the most serious threat...
However, the militant strike action was not the only problem Britain faced during these years, one such problem that they faced was the return of Suffragette militancy in 1911. As 1910 came it seemed to everyone that the Suffragettes would simply fade away as Emmline Pankhurst announced a truce and that all militant action was going to be suspended following the Liberal government’s promise of a Conciliation Bill, this truce lasted until November 1910, where it became apparent that the Bill would fail because the government would not allow it on time.
Following this an event known as ‘Black Friday’ occurred where police interrupted a Suffragette march and beat them under instructions not to arrest any of them. With this came a much heavier slew of militancy than previously as they began breaking windows on a much larger scale including 10 Downing street and a large amount in the West end of London’s shopping area. The Suffragettes also put mass hunger strikes into place as they refused to eat once arrested in an attempt to martyr themselves, in response to this the government was forced to pass the ‘Temporary discharge for Ill-Health act’ which allowed them to temporarily release Suffragette members and rearrest them at a later date when they had recovered. The other things the Suffragettes did was more vandalism including Arson and pouring acid on golf courses in an attempt to cow the government into submission
The rise in militant strike action was undoubtedly the most serious threat...