Knowledge

National Unemployed Workers' Movement

Source 📝

153:, and the decision to wind it up was taken in 1943. It was finally dissolved in 1946. Over the years there have been several attempts to revive the movement, one of the most recent being around 1992. 60:. From 1921 until 1929 it was called the National Unemployed Workers' Committee Movement. The NUWM became the foremost body responsible for organising the unemployed on a national basis in the 115:. They objected to the abandonment of the revolutionary goal of abolishing the wages system in favour of work at trade union rates or maintenance at trade union rates. They had close links to 257:
Alan Campbell and John McIlroy, ‘The National Unemployed Workers’ Movement and the Communist Party of Great Britain revisited’, Labour History Review, vol. 73, no. 1, (2008) pp. 39–60.
797: 746: 306: 921: 72:, which was followed by some days of serious violence across central London with 75 people being badly injured, which in turn led directly to the formation of the 911: 782: 906: 850: 792: 117: 299: 901: 916: 896: 891: 822: 292: 886: 141:
shortly afterwards. He criticised the UWO and defended the actions of the Poplar Board of Guardians, who had called in the police.
715: 37: 421: 104: 83:
and the official trades union bodies offered little support to the legions of unemployed workers during this period. The
64:, these years being characterised by high levels of unemployment. A central element of its activities was a series of 741: 178: 855: 802: 675: 315: 203: 21: 685: 126: 112: 839: 812: 489: 29: 756: 450: 560: 409: 374: 787: 651: 279: 69: 772: 690: 344: 87:
and the National Executive Council advised Labour parties and trades councils along the route of the
73: 736: 658: 512: 680: 566: 807: 751: 506: 84: 68:
to London, organised in 1922, 1929, 1930, 1932, 1934 and 1936. The largest of these was the
720: 705: 700: 8: 274: 223: 129:. It did not survive long after a physical attack on its members on 26 September 1923 in 108: 33: 130: 245: 356: 174: 138: 80: 284: 150: 100: 865: 533: 444: 415: 134: 61: 604: 595: 539: 133:
by the police, which left 40 members in hospital. Wal Hannington filled in for
122: 53: 880: 860: 845: 710: 644: 616: 610: 554: 518: 456: 427: 362: 350: 338: 57: 777: 480: 88: 65: 622: 589: 548: 471: 465: 403: 380: 368: 171:
Bread and Work: Social Policy and the Experience of Unemployment, 1918-39
41: 25: 91:
not to help the marchers, although local branches were more generous.
524: 397: 817: 262:
We Refuse to Starve in Silence: A History of the NUWM 1920-1946
747:
Communist Party (British Section of the Third International)
79:
To the dismay of many within the wider labour movement, the
20:
was a British organisation set up in 1921 by members of the
149:
It suspended activity in 1939, at the outbreak of the
221:"Manifesto of the Unemployed Workers' Organisation". 783:
Committee to Defeat Revisionism, for Communist Unity
314: 24:. It aimed at drawing attention to the plight of 878: 94: 922:Political advocacy groups in the United Kingdom 793:Communist Party of Britain (Marxist–Leninist) 300: 193:p. 144; University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1940 912:1946 disestablishments in the United Kingdom 191:Civil Liberties in England from 1914 to 1940 107:(UWO), the views of which were based on the 121:but only gained a significant following in 307: 293: 907:1921 establishments in the United Kingdom 214: 879: 798:Communist Party of Great Britain (PCC) 264:, London: Laurence & Wishart, 1987 823:Revolutionary Marxist–Leninist League 696:National Unemployed Workers' Movement 288: 18:National Unemployed Workers' Movement 902:Organizations disestablished in 1946 74:National Council for Civil Liberties 13: 917:Unemployment in the United Kingdom 251: 144: 14: 933: 897:Organizations established in 1921 239: 103:led a breakaway group called the 892:Communist Party of Great Britain 676:Communist Party Historians Group 317:Communist Party of Great Britain 105:Unemployed Workers' Organisation 22:Communist Party of Great Britain 887:Communism in the United Kingdom 113:Industrial Workers of the World 813:New Communist Party of Britain 580:National Industrial Organisers 196: 183: 163: 1: 803:Workers' Socialist Federation 757:South Wales Socialist Society 391:Assistant General Secretaries 156: 95:Industrial unionist breakaway 47: 7: 840:Britain's Road to Socialism 280:Workers Alliance of America 268: 208:liberty-human-rights.org.uk 70:National Hunger March, 1932 10: 938: 773:Communist Party of Britain 691:National Minority Movement 601:George Allison (1942–1951) 173:p. 104; Pluto Press, 2000 30:post-First World War slump 831: 765: 729: 668: 636: 579: 499: 462:Frank Stanley (1964–1967) 437: 390: 331: 324: 189:Hitchner, Dell Gillette; 545:Mick Bennett (1951–1954) 52:The NUWM was founded by 737:British Socialist Party 477:Irene Swann (1972–1974) 118:Communist Workers Party 56:and led in Scotland by 742:Communist Labour Party 716:Young Communist League 681:Jersey Communist Party 40:, and at fighting the 856:Members of Parliament 808:Fife Socialist League 752:Communist Unity Group 586:Ernie Woolley (1925–) 572:Ian McKay (1982–1991) 486:Ron Halverson (1980s) 137:at a meeting held in 85:Trades Union Congress 721:Connolly Association 701:New Politics Network 530:R. W. Robson (1930s) 246:Why Are We Marching? 500:National Organisers 332:General Secretaries 275:Unemployed Councils 260:Croucher, Richard. 224:Workers Dreadnought 109:industrial unionism 34:1926 General Strike 28:workers during the 131:Poplar High Street 874: 873: 669:Associated groups 632: 631: 357:Rajani Palme Dutt 139:Glasgow City Hall 127:1923 Docks Strike 929: 851:Election results 788:Communist League 451:Willie Gallacher 329: 328: 318: 309: 302: 295: 286: 285: 233: 232: 218: 212: 211: 200: 194: 187: 181: 167: 151:Second World War 101:Gunnar Soderberg 38:Great Depression 937: 936: 932: 931: 930: 928: 927: 926: 877: 876: 875: 870: 866:Zinoviev letter 827: 761: 725: 686:Democratic Left 664: 659:Workers' Weekly 628: 575: 561:Gordon McLennan 534:Dave Springhall 495: 445:Arthur MacManus 433: 416:Bill Wainwright 410:George Matthews 386: 375:Gordon McLennan 320: 316: 313: 271: 254: 252:Further reading 242: 237: 236: 220: 219: 215: 202: 201: 197: 188: 184: 168: 164: 159: 147: 145:End of the NUWM 135:George Lansbury 97: 62:interwar period 50: 12: 11: 5: 935: 925: 924: 919: 914: 909: 904: 899: 894: 889: 872: 871: 869: 868: 863: 858: 853: 848: 843: 835: 833: 829: 828: 826: 825: 820: 815: 810: 805: 800: 795: 790: 785: 780: 775: 769: 767: 763: 762: 760: 759: 754: 749: 744: 739: 733: 731: 727: 726: 724: 723: 718: 713: 708: 703: 698: 693: 688: 683: 678: 672: 670: 666: 665: 663: 662: 655: 648: 640: 638: 634: 633: 630: 629: 627: 626: 620: 614: 608: 605:Peter Kerrigan 602: 599: 596:Peter Kerrigan 593: 587: 583: 581: 577: 576: 574: 573: 570: 564: 558: 552: 546: 543: 540:Peter Kerrigan 537: 531: 528: 522: 516: 510: 503: 501: 497: 496: 494: 493: 487: 484: 478: 475: 469: 463: 460: 454: 448: 441: 439: 435: 434: 432: 431: 425: 422:Bill Alexander 419: 413: 407: 401: 394: 392: 388: 387: 385: 384: 378: 372: 366: 360: 354: 348: 345:J. R. Campbell 342: 335: 333: 326: 322: 321: 312: 311: 304: 297: 289: 283: 282: 277: 270: 267: 266: 265: 258: 253: 250: 249: 248: 241: 240:External links 238: 235: 234: 213: 195: 182: 161: 160: 158: 155: 146: 143: 96: 93: 89:Jarrow Crusade 66:hunger marches 54:Wal Hannington 49: 46: 36:and later the 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 934: 923: 920: 918: 915: 913: 910: 908: 905: 903: 900: 898: 895: 893: 890: 888: 885: 884: 882: 867: 864: 862: 861:Percy Glading 859: 857: 854: 852: 849: 847: 846:Campbell Case 844: 842: 841: 837: 836: 834: 830: 824: 821: 819: 816: 814: 811: 809: 806: 804: 801: 799: 796: 794: 791: 789: 786: 784: 781: 779: 776: 774: 771: 770: 768: 764: 758: 755: 753: 750: 748: 745: 743: 740: 738: 735: 734: 732: 728: 722: 719: 717: 714: 712: 711:Straight Left 709: 707: 704: 702: 699: 697: 694: 692: 689: 687: 684: 682: 679: 677: 674: 673: 671: 667: 661: 660: 656: 654: 653: 649: 647: 646: 645:Marxism Today 642: 641: 639: 635: 624: 621: 618: 617:Mick Costello 615: 612: 611:Bert Ramelson 609: 606: 603: 600: 597: 594: 591: 588: 585: 584: 582: 578: 571: 568: 565: 562: 559: 556: 555:Bill Lauchlan 553: 550: 547: 544: 541: 538: 535: 532: 529: 526: 523: 520: 519:Harry Pollitt 517: 514: 511: 508: 505: 504: 502: 498: 491: 490:George Bolton 488: 485: 482: 479: 476: 473: 470: 467: 464: 461: 458: 457:Harry Pollitt 455: 452: 449: 446: 443: 442: 440: 436: 429: 428:Reuben Falber 426: 423: 420: 417: 414: 411: 408: 405: 402: 399: 396: 395: 393: 389: 382: 379: 376: 373: 370: 367: 364: 363:Harry Pollitt 361: 358: 355: 352: 351:Harry Pollitt 349: 346: 343: 340: 339:Albert Inkpin 337: 336: 334: 330: 327: 323: 319: 310: 305: 303: 298: 296: 291: 290: 287: 281: 278: 276: 273: 272: 263: 259: 256: 255: 247: 244: 243: 230: 226: 225: 217: 209: 205: 199: 192: 186: 180: 179:0-7453-1486-4 176: 172: 169:Perry, Matt; 166: 162: 154: 152: 142: 140: 136: 132: 128: 124: 120: 119: 114: 110: 106: 102: 92: 90: 86: 82: 77: 75: 71: 67: 63: 59: 58:Harry McShane 55: 45: 43: 39: 35: 31: 27: 23: 19: 838: 832:Other topics 778:Appeal Group 730:Predecessors 695: 657: 652:Morning Star 650: 643: 637:Publications 492:(1980s–1990) 481:Mick McGahey 261: 228: 222: 216: 207: 198: 190: 185: 170: 165: 148: 116: 98: 81:Labour Party 78: 51: 17: 15: 625:(1982–1991) 623:Pete Carter 619:(1979–1982) 613:(1965–1978) 607:(1951–1966) 598:(1939–1942) 592:(1937–1939) 590:Finlay Hart 569:(1975–1981) 563:(1966–1975) 557:(1956–1966) 551:(1954–1956) 549:John Gollan 542:(1943–1951) 536:(1940–1943) 515:(1921–1923) 513:Bob Stewart 509:(1920–1921) 483:(1974–1979) 474:(1969–1971) 472:John Tocher 468:(1968–1969) 466:Tony Chater 459:(1956–1960) 453:(1943–1956) 447:(1920–1927) 430:(1968–1979) 424:(1959–1967) 412:(1949–1956) 406:(1947–1949) 404:John Gollan 400:(1920–1922) 383:(1989–1991) 381:Nina Temple 377:(1975–1989) 371:(1956–1975) 369:John Gollan 365:(1941–1956) 359:(1939–1941) 353:(1929–1939) 341:(1920–1928) 231:(16). 1923. 125:during the 881:Categories 325:Leadership 157:References 48:Activities 42:Means Test 26:unemployed 706:New Times 567:Dave Cook 525:Idris Cox 418:(1956-59) 398:Fred Peet 204:"Liberty" 818:New Left 507:Tom Bell 269:See also 99:In 1923 527:(1930s) 111:of the 766:Splits 521:(1923) 438:Chairs 347:(1929) 177:  123:Poplar 32:, the 175:ISBN 16:The 883:: 227:. 206:. 76:. 44:. 308:e 301:t 294:v 229:X 210:.

Index

Communist Party of Great Britain
unemployed
post-First World War slump
1926 General Strike
Great Depression
Means Test
Wal Hannington
Harry McShane
interwar period
hunger marches
National Hunger March, 1932
National Council for Civil Liberties
Labour Party
Trades Union Congress
Jarrow Crusade
Gunnar Soderberg
Unemployed Workers' Organisation
industrial unionism
Industrial Workers of the World
Communist Workers Party
Poplar
1923 Docks Strike
Poplar High Street
George Lansbury
Glasgow City Hall
Second World War
ISBN
0-7453-1486-4
"Liberty"
Workers Dreadnought

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.