During the General Strike of May 1926, more than 2.5 million workers from many industries went on strike.

Main Causes:

- Long term tensions in mining
- A post-war industrial slump
- Dispute between mine owners and unions over the Samuel Commission's report.

Communism and Socialism:

There was a communist revolution in Russia in 1917.

Some source clues for the exam:

The British Gazette was the Government's newspaper. The British Worker was the newspaper of the TUC.

The strike failed because:

TUC leaders didn't think a general strike would work - they tried to negotiate and pressured the Miners' Union to accept the Samuel Commission's report.

The strike failed because:

TUC leaders weren't allowed to speak on the radio and had limited space in newspapers as the government controlled newsprint.

The strike failed because:

TUC leaders felt they were losing control of the strike in some areas and were worried about public opinion if strikers turned to violence.

The strike failed because:

The Government was united in thinking the strike was an attack on the state itself and 'political' not 'economic'.

The strike failed because:
'Red Friday' 1925: The Government subsidies delayed miners' wage cuts 9 months so the government had time to stockpile resources and set up the OMS (Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies) to train volunteers to replace striking workers.