Inscriptions

After the Imperialist War [WWI] the coal industry is experiencing a decline in England. This industry is England's most technically behind and cannot successfully compete in the global coal market. Coal exports are falling from year to year. The mine owners, in an attempt to maintain their profits, are reducing wages and increasing the working day. \r\n\r\nIn 1921 there was a famous four-month miners' strike. There were 1.2 million people on strike. The strike was defeated, as the railwaymen and the transport workers did not support the miners, and the compromising trade union leaders gave in.\r\nAfter this the mine owners continued the attack on the miners, increasing their profits by way of reducing wages and increasing the length of the work day. \r\n\r\nIn April of 1926, the mine owners set demands: the reduction to pre-war salary bonuses from 33% to 20%, the increase of the work day by one hour, regional contract conclusion, in order split the power of the miner. In response to the mine owners' demands, a miners' strike began at midnight on the May 1st, 1926. in the night between the 3rd and the 4th of May a general strike of the proletariat in England began. The strike proceeded with exceptional unanimity and organization, and showed all the power of the British proletariat. The leaders of the General council of trade unions, afraid of the political significance of this strike, reached an agreement with the government behind the miners' backs about ending the general strike and refused the help of workers from the USSR. On the 12th of May the general strike was terminated, and the miners found themselves alone once again. Depleted by the six-month long struggle, the miners were forced to surrender. But will the industrialists celebrate this victory for very long, treading on other groups of the working class?! \r\n\r\nLR: after the original by the artist N. Kasatkin\r\nLC: State Publisher, Moscow & Leningrad, 1930