The Miners' Strike
In addition to being the most bitter industrial dispute the coal miners' strike of 1984/5 was the longest national strike in British history. For a year over 100,000 members of the National Union of Mineworkers, their families and supporters, in hundreds of communities, battled to prevent the decimation of the coal industry on which their livelihoods and communities depended. Margaret Thatcher's government aimed to smash the most militant section of the British working class. She wanted to usher in a new era of greater management control at work and pave the way for a radical refashioning of society in favor of neo-liberal objectives that three decades later have crippled the world economy.

Victory required draconian restrictions on picketing and the development of a militarized national police force that made widespread arrests as part of its criminalization policy. The attacks on the miners also involved the use of the courts and anti-trade union laws, restrictions on welfare benefits, the secret financing by industrialists of working miners and the involvement of the security services. All of which was supported by a compliant mass media but resisted by the collective courage of miners and mining communities in which the role of Women against Pit Closures in combating poverty and starvation was heroic. Thus inspired by the struggle for jobs and communities an unparalleled movement of support groups right across Britain and in other parts of the world was born and helped bring about a situation where the miners long struggle came close on occasions to winning.

At the heart of the conflict was the Yorkshire region, where even at the end in March 1985, 83 per cent of 56,000 miners were still out on strike. The official Yorkshire National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) area photographer in 1984-85 was the late Martin Jenkinson and this book of his photographs – some never previously seen before - serves as a unique social document on the dispute that changed the face of Britain.
1136490852
The Miners' Strike
In addition to being the most bitter industrial dispute the coal miners' strike of 1984/5 was the longest national strike in British history. For a year over 100,000 members of the National Union of Mineworkers, their families and supporters, in hundreds of communities, battled to prevent the decimation of the coal industry on which their livelihoods and communities depended. Margaret Thatcher's government aimed to smash the most militant section of the British working class. She wanted to usher in a new era of greater management control at work and pave the way for a radical refashioning of society in favor of neo-liberal objectives that three decades later have crippled the world economy.

Victory required draconian restrictions on picketing and the development of a militarized national police force that made widespread arrests as part of its criminalization policy. The attacks on the miners also involved the use of the courts and anti-trade union laws, restrictions on welfare benefits, the secret financing by industrialists of working miners and the involvement of the security services. All of which was supported by a compliant mass media but resisted by the collective courage of miners and mining communities in which the role of Women against Pit Closures in combating poverty and starvation was heroic. Thus inspired by the struggle for jobs and communities an unparalleled movement of support groups right across Britain and in other parts of the world was born and helped bring about a situation where the miners long struggle came close on occasions to winning.

At the heart of the conflict was the Yorkshire region, where even at the end in March 1985, 83 per cent of 56,000 miners were still out on strike. The official Yorkshire National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) area photographer in 1984-85 was the late Martin Jenkinson and this book of his photographs – some never previously seen before - serves as a unique social document on the dispute that changed the face of Britain.
29.95 Out Of Stock
The Miners' Strike

The Miners' Strike

The Miners' Strike

The Miners' Strike

Paperback

$29.95 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    Temporarily Out of Stock Online
  • PICK UP IN STORE
    Check Availability at Nearby Stores

Related collections and offers


Overview

In addition to being the most bitter industrial dispute the coal miners' strike of 1984/5 was the longest national strike in British history. For a year over 100,000 members of the National Union of Mineworkers, their families and supporters, in hundreds of communities, battled to prevent the decimation of the coal industry on which their livelihoods and communities depended. Margaret Thatcher's government aimed to smash the most militant section of the British working class. She wanted to usher in a new era of greater management control at work and pave the way for a radical refashioning of society in favor of neo-liberal objectives that three decades later have crippled the world economy.

Victory required draconian restrictions on picketing and the development of a militarized national police force that made widespread arrests as part of its criminalization policy. The attacks on the miners also involved the use of the courts and anti-trade union laws, restrictions on welfare benefits, the secret financing by industrialists of working miners and the involvement of the security services. All of which was supported by a compliant mass media but resisted by the collective courage of miners and mining communities in which the role of Women against Pit Closures in combating poverty and starvation was heroic. Thus inspired by the struggle for jobs and communities an unparalleled movement of support groups right across Britain and in other parts of the world was born and helped bring about a situation where the miners long struggle came close on occasions to winning.

At the heart of the conflict was the Yorkshire region, where even at the end in March 1985, 83 per cent of 56,000 miners were still out on strike. The official Yorkshire National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) area photographer in 1984-85 was the late Martin Jenkinson and this book of his photographs – some never previously seen before - serves as a unique social document on the dispute that changed the face of Britain.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781783463664
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Publication date: 05/19/2014
Series: Images of the Past
Pages: 224
Product dimensions: 7.40(w) x 9.60(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Mark Metcalf is a freelance writer with a passion for football, especially the formative histories of northern teams. His recent work includes books on Manchester United, the 1960 FA Cup and Sunderland (he's a lifelong fan). Mark has also completed a biography of the Sunderland legend Stan Anderson.

Born in County Durham, Mark now resides in Halifax with his wife Ruth and two-year-old son Charlie. David Wood was born in Barnsley in 1963 and was first taken to Oakwell by his father in 1970. He has seen 'The Reds' play matches on 124 different grounds and now serves as Official Historian to the Club.

Married to Sarah, with a daughter, Rachel, David lives in Bedfordshire.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 The Beginning: 1947-1974 1

Chapter 2 New Tory Thinking 7

Chapter 3 The Run-up to the Strike 11

Chapter 4 The Strike Kicks Off 29

Chapter 5 Women Against Pit Closures 63

Chapter 6 Police Force, Police Law, Police State 86

Chapter 7 Battling On 118

Chapter 8 Into Autumn 150

Chapter 9 Winter Slog 162

Chapter 10 Back to Work 183

Chapter 11 The Aftermath 195

Acknowledgements and Bibliography 217

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews