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First published in 1955,
A History of the Scottish Miners recounts the peculiar circumstances of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and the laws that placed the miners under conditions unique in Europe. Carrying onto the nineteenth century, the author deals with the first trade unions, the period of Alexander McDonald and Keir Hardie, ending in the great strike of 1894 and the formation of the Scottish Miners' Federation, embracing eight county associations. From 1894 onwards, Robert Smillie led the Scots in good times and bad, up to the ordeal of the First World War. The effect in Scotland of the great lockouts of 1921 and 1926, with Robert Smillie no longer chairman of the British miners but still the leader in Scotland, is set out in detail. Then after a time of troubles, the Scots miners developed their organisations during the war and, before its end, under new leaders, they achieved a single union for Scotland. This book will be of interest to students of history, sociology, economics and political science.
List of contents
Foreword Preface 1. Bondsmen
2. Child Labour and Chartism
3. The County Unions
4. The Great Strike of 1894
5. Conciliation on Trial
6. The Great Strike of 1912
7. War and its Sequel
8. The Lock-out of 1926 and its Aftermath
9. The World Economic Crisis
10. The Miners Against Fascism and War
11. The War Years 1939-45
12. Nationalisation
13. Wages and Hours under State Ownership
14. International Relations
15. Knockshinnoch
16. The Union Today
Bibliography Index of Names General Index
