Dr Annie Tindley spotlights a collection of strike bulletins that highlight the high level of engagement from the population of Scotland in the general strike of 1926

Dr Annie Tindley

Troops on guard at an omnibus station. Each bus had its own police escort during the strike

The end of the First World War heralded a period of tumultuous political, social and economic change, some of which took the best part of a decade to fully play itself out. One example of this is the focus of this issue’s column: the general strike of 1926. World War I had given Scotland’s heavy industries and workforce a boost: employment was easy to find, even for women, and the fruits of industry required for the war effort. After 1918, however, the economy contracted and industrial disputes blossomed. While not unique to Scotland, the country’s economy was particularly vulnerable in the 1920s, generating the conditions which made the radical action of the general strike possible.