The Edge of Revolution: The 1926 General Strike, 100 Years On
When: Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Where: Skeel Lecture Theatre, The People's Palace, Mile End
Join the Mile End Institute to celebrate the publication of David Torrance's new history of the General Strike that shook Britain 100 years ago!
One hundred years ago, in May 1926, the Trades Union Congress called Britain’s first and only General Strike. Nearly three million workers downed tools, closing Britain’s docks, railways, mines, much of heavy industry and most of the press. Proclaiming a State of Emergency, the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, claimed that Britain was ‘nearer to civil war than we have been for centuries past’. The Times called it ‘the gravest domestic menace which has hung over this nation since the fall of the Stuarts’.
The General Strike lasted only nine days, but its impact was profound. In this centenary event, we will explore the history of the General Strike, its legacy and the position of organised labour today. We will ask why the strike took place, why it failed, and the lessons for the union movement, for direct action groups, and for workers’ rights in our own time. We are also delighted to be launching a new history of the strike by Dr David Torrance: The Edge of Revolution: The General Strike That Shook Britain.
Dr Torrance will be joined by the journalist and former host of Radio 4’s Westminster Hour, Carolyn Quinn, and MEI deputy-director, Robert Saunders, with more panellists to be announced shortly.
All are warmly welcome to attend. Tickets are free, but must be reserved in advance.
This event will be held in the Skeel Lecture Theatre in the People's Palace, which is number 16 on this map of Queen Mary's Mile End campus. You can find it on What3Words at: https://w3w.co/chop.stress.ruby.