Page 17 - All About History - Issue 34-16

Protest

4 FAMOUS…
How not to… strike
Although strikes are often successful, fame) favoured sending in the army. STRIKERS
some can have little or no effect, or can The troops were dispatched and
even make things worse for workers. Chartist leaders were arrested. 1,500
The 1842 General Strike was initiated were detained, and of these 79 were
by miners after a 3.25 million-signature found guilty and sentenced to 21 years’
Chartist petition was snubbed by the exile in one of the empire’s penal
House of Commons. The resulting strike colonies. Men were also shot in several
took place in the industrial districts of striking cities across the country. With
the Midlands and spread to Lancashire, the arrest of the leaders, the striking
Yorkshire and Scotland. and rioting subsided. The 1842 General
The prime minister, Sir Robert Peel, Strike was a show of working class
advocated non-intervention, but the strength but did little to change the
Duke of Wellington (he of Waterloo status quo.
ARTHURSCARGILL
1938-PRESENT,UK
The president of the National
Union of Mineworkers (NUM)
organised and led the miners’
strikes in the 1970s and 1980s.

ELLENWILKINSON
1891-1947, UK
A Labour politician, Wilkinson
Join the picket lines Avoid arrest was a former suffragist who
participated in the 1926 general
Naturally, not everyone will want to strike, but there is If you’re arrested, the game is up. Clashes with the
strike and the Jarrow Crusade.
03a chance they can still be convinced. Before taking the 04 police can get violent, so it’s best to avoid confrontation.
fight to London, gather outside as many pits as possible to try The police force has more resources at its disposal, and acts of
and win over other miners. Start by trying to persuade them violence could alienate some of your supporters. Getting thrown
with reason and incentives, but if it comes to it, intimidation is in jail can help gain sympathy to your cause, but you can’t stand
a
also weapon that can be used to good effect. on the picket line when under lock and key.

PATRIC VERRONE
1959-PRESENT, USA
A popular animated television
writer, Verrone served as leader of
the Writer’s Guild of America West
during the 2007 08 writers’ strike.

Fundraise Keep the faith
As the strike goes on, it is important to maintain the It’s imperative you continue to galvanise your followers. If GEORGEFERNANDES
05legality of your actions as well as finance your time 06everything isn’t quite going to plan or is taking longer than
away from the pits. At first the unions can help cover the costs expected, many supporters can lose faith in the strike leadership 1930-PRESENT, INDIA
Fernandes led over a million
of striking, but as time goes on, expenditure may become too and even make their unhappiness heard vocally. Conversely, it is
workers in the All India Railway
much and each striker may have to dip into their own pockets important to know when a battle is lost. Cut your losses and you Men’s Federation strike, which
© Alamy, Ed Crooks
to carry on. may return another day to win the war. lasted for 20 days.
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