Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
A stereotype holds that British workers have always been conservative and averse to radical class struggle. But a century ago, they waged a general strike that reached revolutionary proportions, threatening the very foundations of capitalist society. The Guardian newspaper declared on 10 May 1926: “It is just a week since Civil War was declared in this country. It is not a war of arms; it is not yet even a war of tempers; it is a trial of strength.” But the strike ended suddenly after 9 days: at its peak. What happened?
Shamefully, little has been written to mark the centenary of the 1926 general strike, and the accounts that do exist completely misrepresent it in various ways.
Right-wing historians say the unions were simply a ‘boil that needed lancing’ and the workers’ case was a hopeless one (despite the terror the strike struck into the hearts of the establishment at the time).
Meanwhile, some left-wingers deny the workers were actually defeated! Which rather raises the question of why they were forced to accept brutal wage cuts, lengthened hours and targeting sackings, leading to a whole period of paralysis on the industrial front.
The real story of the 1926 general strike reveals a tragic failure of leadership. Despite the immense power and courage of the British workers – who paralysed the country, established their own embryonic seats of power and even developed a rival press – they were ultimately sold out by the trade union leadership.
This major episode in the British and world class struggle is full of lessons for class fighters today, at a time when the capitalist system is one more in an historic crisis and trying to force ordinary people to shoulder the burden.
We are delighted to welcome onto the show Ben Gliniecki, General Secretary of the Revolutionary Communist Party and author of A Communist History of the British General Strike, to set the record straight.
📖 RECOMMENDED READING 📖
A Communist History of the British General Strike, Ben Gliniecki: wellredbooks.co.uk/product/a-communist-history-of-the-british-general-strike
Accounts critiqued:
The 1926 General Strike: revolutionary potential, reformist betrayal, and the lessons for today, Dylan Murphy: morningstaronline.co.uk/article/1926-general-strike-revolutionary-potential-reformist-betrayal-and-lessons-today
How the 1926 General Strike shaped trade union solidarity, Aslef general secretary David Calfe: morningstaronline.co.uk/article/how-1926-general-strike-shaped-trade-union-solidarity
“Their Greatest Effort Ever”: The British General Strike at 100, Cal Winslow: jacobin.com/2026/05/general-strike-britain-labor-history
General Strike was 'the boil that needed lancing', BBC (citing David Torrance, author of ‘The Edge of Revolution: The General Strike that Shook Britain’): bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7057jy14j1o
Reflections on the General Strike, 100 years on, Paul Nowak, General secretary of the Trades Union Congress: tuc.org.uk/blogs/reflections-general-strike-100-years
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS ⏱️
0:00:00 – Introduction: The 1926 General Strike
0:01:37 – Background: The British Working Class & the Rise of Militancy
0:04:38 – WWI and the Surge of Revolutionary Unrest
0:06:32 – Black Friday 1921: The Triple Alliance Betrayal
0:09:15 – The First Labour Government & the Red Scare
0:12:27 – New Leadership: The Miners Federation Fights Back
0:15:31 – The Coal Crisis Deepens & Churchill's Role
0:17:30 – The 1925 Lockout & Red Friday
0:21:33 – The Government Prepares for Confrontation
0:25:37 – The Road to the Strike: Negotiations Break Down
0:29:08 – The General Strike Begins: Workers Flood the Breach
0:34:14 – The Strength of the Working Class in Action
0:35:08 – Councils of Action: Workers Begin to Run Society
0:40:21 – How the Strike Has Been Misrepresented
0:41:08 – The Establishment View: The BBC & Right-Wing Historians
0:49:31 – The TUC's Right-Wing Leadership & the Sellout
0:59:38 – The Betrayal: The Strike Called Off
1:04:42 – Aftermath: Victimization, New Laws & Long-Term Defeat
1:10:57 – Left Reformist Perspectives on the Strike
1:19:49 – The Communist Party of Great Britain's Role
1:33:11 – Lessons of the 1926 General Strike for Today
1:35:43 – Outro
🫵 Join the Revolutionary Communist International: marxist.com/join-us.htm
📚 Marxist literature: wellred-books.com
🎧 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/68nGNHz5lB8UZXICGIDMva?si=682ef70551644443
📱 Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/against-the-stream/id1777793987
📸 Instagram: instagram.com/revcomintern
💬 Twitter: https://x.com/revcomintern/
A stereotype holds that British workers have always been conservative and averse to radical class struggle. But a century ago, they waged a general strike that reached revolutionary proportions, threatening the very foundations of capitalist society. The Guardian newspaper declared on 10 May 1926: “It is just a week since Civil War was declared in this country. It is not a war of arms; it is not yet even a war of tempers; it is a trial of strength.” But the strike ended suddenly after 9 days: at its peak. What happened?
Shamefully, little has been written to mark the centenary of the 1926 general strike, and the accounts that do exist completely misrepresent it in various ways.
Right-wing historians say the unions were simply a ‘boil that needed lancing’ and the workers’ case was a hopeless one (despite the terror the strike struck into the hearts of the establishment at the time).
Meanwhile, some left-wingers deny the workers were actually defeated! Which rather raises the question of why they were forced to accept brutal wage cuts, lengthened hours and targeting sackings, leading to a whole period of paralysis on the industrial front.
The real story of the 1926 general strike reveals a tragic failure of leadership. Despite the immense power and courage of the British workers – who paralysed the country, established their own embryonic seats of power and even developed a rival press – they were ultimately sold out by the trade union leadership.
This major episode in the British and world class struggle is full of lessons for class fighters today, at a time when the capitalist system is one more in an historic crisis and trying to force ordinary people to shoulder the burden.
We are delighted to welcome onto the show Ben Gliniecki, General Secretary of the Revolutionary Communist Party and author of A Communist History of the British General Strike, to set the record straight.
📖 RECOMMENDED READING 📖
A Communist History of the British General Strike, Ben Gliniecki: wellredbooks.co.uk/product/a-communist-history-of-the-british-general-strike
Accounts critiqued:
The 1926 General Strike: revolutionary potential, reformist betrayal, and the lessons for today, Dylan Murphy: morningstaronline.co.uk/article/1926-general-strike-revolutionary-potential-reformist-betrayal-and-lessons-today
How the 1926 General Strike shaped trade union solidarity, Aslef general secretary David Calfe: morningstaronline.co.uk/article/how-1926-general-strike-shaped-trade-union-solidarity
“Their Greatest Effort Ever”: The British General Strike at 100, Cal Winslow: jacobin.com/2026/05/general-strike-britain-labor-history
General Strike was 'the boil that needed lancing', BBC (citing David Torrance, author of ‘The Edge of Revolution: The General Strike that Shook Britain’): bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7057jy14j1o
Reflections on the General Strike, 100 years on, Paul Nowak, General secretary of the Trades Union Congress: tuc.org.uk/blogs/reflections-general-strike-100-years
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS ⏱️
0:00:00 – Introduction: The 1926 General Strike
0:01:37 – Background: The British Working Class & the Rise of Militancy
0:04:38 – WWI and the Surge of Revolutionary Unrest
0:06:32 – Black Friday 1921: The Triple Alliance Betrayal
0:09:15 – The First Labour Government & the Red Scare
0:12:27 – New Leadership: The Miners Federation Fights Back
0:15:31 – The Coal Crisis Deepens & Churchill's Role
0:17:30 – The 1925 Lockout & Red Friday
0:21:33 – The Government Prepares for Confrontation
0:25:37 – The Road to the Strike: Negotiations Break Down
0:29:08 – The General Strike Begins: Workers Flood the Breach
0:34:14 – The Strength of the Working Class in Action
0:35:08 – Councils of Action: Workers Begin to Run Society
0:40:21 – How the Strike Has Been Misrepresented
0:41:08 – The Establishment View: The BBC & Right-Wing Historians
0:49:31 – The TUC's Right-Wing Leadership & the Sellout
0:59:38 – The Betrayal: The Strike Called Off
1:04:42 – Aftermath: Victimization, New Laws & Long-Term Defeat
1:10:57 – Left Reformist Perspectives on the Strike
1:19:49 – The Communist Party of Great Britain's Role
1:33:11 – Lessons of the 1926 General Strike for Today
1:35:43 – Outro
🫵 Join the Revolutionary Communist International: marxist.com/join-us.htm
📚 Marxist literature: wellred-books.com
🎧 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/68nGNHz5lB8UZXICGIDMva?si=682ef70551644443
📱 Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/against-the-stream/id1777793987
📸 Instagram: instagram.com/revcomintern
💬 Twitter: https://x.com/revcomintern/
