Citizen strike breakers: volunteers, strikes, and the state in Britain, 1911–1926

Journal article

This article provides the first systematic historical study of volunteerstrike-breaking across a relatively broad time frame, focusing specifi-cally on the period between 1911 and 1926. These years bore witnessto the largest industrial conflict in British history, encompassing theGreat Labour Unrest of 1911–14, the post-war strike wave of 1919–23,and the General Strike of 1926. The sheer size and scale of thesestrikes, which involved millions of workers and engulfed entire cities,towns, and communities, instigated a shift away from traditional strike-breaking agencies and actors and towards civilian volunteers. This articlechallenges prevailing interpretations of the General Strike, interwarpolitical culture, and the implications of voluntary activism in earlytwentieth-century Britain. It sheds light on the hitherto unexplored roleof volunteers during the Great Labour Unrest and highlights how thisactivity often provoked considerable violence on the part of strikers.Contrary to dominant interpretations centred on the General Strike,which often highlight the good spirits of the volunteers, this article paysmore attention to the hostility, arrogance, and sense of social hierarchythat underpinned the volunteer world view.

Authors: Ryan, L

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Liverpool University Press
• Journal: Labour History Review
• Volume: 87
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 109-140
• Publication date: 2022-01-07
• DOI: 10.3828/lhr.2022.5
• EISSN: 1745-8188
• ISSN: 0961-5652
• Language: English
• Keywords: socialism; volunteers; Labour Party; strikes; trade unions