Railwaymen in the North East of England 1890-1930: Industrial and Political Attitudes and Policies

The thesis begins with an analysis of railwaymen in the North East and an examination of the characteristics of the North East of England. It examines the state of trade unionism and industrial relations at the end of the nineteenth century on a local, regional and national basis. It pursues those developments through the first decade of the twentieth century and analyses the political situation over the same period to the extent that this is relevant to the situation of railwaymen. It then looks at individual strikes before the First World War and the hiatus which occurred during the War. It analyses the build-up to industrial strife after the War and up to, and during, the 1926 General Strike and its aftermath. It then follows through political attitudes and policies from 1918-1930. Finally, it considers to what extent there was a separate tradition among railwaymen in the North East throughout the period under study