1913: the Senghenydd disaster
Mining has never been risk free. A year before the First World War, an explosion in a South Wales colliery led to Britain’s worst mining disaster…
Historic Notes
Historic Notes
1926: The General Strike
One hundred years ago the General Strike took place in Britain. While marking the centenary, it’s vital to recognise what actually happened…
1936: Germany plans for war
With chancellor Rachel Reeves looking around for funds to prepare for war, it’s instructive to see how the Nazis approached the problem…
Wapping 1986: an epic battle
Forty years ago an epic industrial dispute erupted in national newspapers when an entire workforce was sacked to boost a print magnate’s profits…
The census: knowing the nation
To run a nation you need to know about who lives within. Otherwise you can’t govern the economy or health, and much else besides…
1787: The Calton Weavers
In 1787 six striking weavers from the Calton area of Glasgow were killed and many more injured. The annual commemoration of their watershed struggle is building towards the 240th anniversary in 2027.
Why philosophy mattered to Marx
Nearly two centuries ago Karl Marx found the practical basis and connection that exists between thinking and being and action…
1972: the US lashes out in Vietnam – and fails
30 April 2025
In 1972 the US was escalating its attacks on north Vietnam. But it was losing the war, which finally ended with victory for Vietnam 50 years ago, on 30 April 1975. British governments shamefully supported US aggression.
1945: More than a loan
Our ruling class has a track record of not protecting Britain’s national interest. One typical episode occurred at the end of the Second World War…
1965: The Indonesian coup
Sixty years ago a bloody coup wiped out the Indonesian communist party, and along with it all the trade unions and peasant associations.
200 years of railways
This year marks the bicentenary of the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway. It will rightly be celebrated with events throughout the year…
1920–1948: Mandate and misrule
In the Middle East, as elsewhere, the British ruling class sought to justify its interference in other peoples’ countries by blaming them for any troubles…
1871: the fight for Wanstead Flats
Campaigns and direct action by workers in the 19th century saved Wanstead Flats on the edge of east London as an open space for the public…
1964: No to conscription!
Sixty years ago the youth of Britain made it clear that they would not be forcibly enlisted in the armed forces…
1918: The war of intervention
After the bloody world war between rival imperialisms, the British ruling class and its allies turned their attention to the infant Soviet Union…
1984: GCHQ trade union ban
Forty years ago workers at a government intelligence centre stood out against a ban on union membership…
US bases in Britain
Once again, the US is seeking to make even greater use of its bases in Britain. And once again, opposition is building…
1217: The Charter of the Forest
25 October 2023
In 1217 the Charter of the Forest established rights of access to royal forests. It’s still of interest, showing how people can exercise power.
1217: The Charter of the Forest [print version]
A little-known event in medieval times is still of interest today – it tells us how people can exercise their power…
How the NHS was won
Launched in 1948, the NHS wasn’t given to us by benign politicians. It was won by workers fighting over centuries for a health service for all. …
1943: The battle of Kursk [print version]
Eighty years ago, the greatest land and tank battle ever was fought at Kursk, one from which the invading Nazi forces never recovered…
1943: The battle of Kursk
20 June 2023
Raging ferociously from July to August 1943, Kursk was the most decisive battle of the Second World War, crucially transforming anti-fascist fortunes.
Slavery, banks and empire
Only the ruling class benefited from slavery. During the long struggle to end it over 1.5 million of Britain’s 12 million people signed petitions against it…
1942: Betteshanger Colliery
Employers have always tried to make strikes illegal and ineffective. One group of workers stood up to intimidation in the middle of war…
The destructive dominance of finance capitalism
22 December 2022
Finance capital wants to increase profits and to subordinate the production of goods and services for people’s needs. It has developed to become the malign global financial system we know today.
The financialisation of capital [Print version]
Finance capitalism keeps a malign stranglehold over the real economy, serving only a tiny group of super-wealthy speculators. How did this come about?
1974-1978: the Social Contract [print version]
Heightened class struggle in the early 1970s was neutered by a Labour government and trade union establishment working in tandem…
1974–78: the Social Contract, trade unions and the Labour government
27 October 2022
Struggles erupted in the early 1970s, notably the engineering union’s destruction of the 1971 Industrial Relations Act and the miners’ fight over pay. The new Labour government preached class conciliation in exchange for moderation of wages.
1926: the General Strike
Given the siren calls for similar action often heard now, it’s vital to recognise what actually happened the last time a general strike was held…
What caused World War One?
Today’s world situation is similar to that of the pre-1914 years when imperialist forces were also intent on dividing up the planet’s resources…