Source enquiry:
Protest, law and order in the 20th century
Exam: Tuesday, 7th June 2011 in the morning
Key skills
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Inference and portrayal
Source analysis
Source evaluation for reliability (can we
trust it?) and utility (how useful? does it
help us understand?)
Cross referencing of sources
Using sources and own knowledge to
make a judgment
Content
• Political protests
– The Suffragettes’ campaign for
votes for women 1903-1914
– The Poll Tax protests 1990
• Economic protests
– The General Strike 1926
– The Miners’ Strike 1984-1985
Factors to think about
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Leadership
Organisation
The media
The powers of governments
How all the above affected the
success or failure of the protests
For discussion
• Do protests ever win against
governments?
• Can violence be justified in pursuit of a
cause?
• Is state violence acceptable?
• Is peaceful civil disobedience an
effective way to protest?
• How far would you be prepared to go to
protest for or against something?
1
Breaking the law? Risking injury or death?
Key points – SUFFRAGETTES 1903-18
CAUSES
Women did not have equal rights and opportunities with men. Without the right to vote they could not bring
about change
LEADERS
Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters Christabel and Sylvia
TACTICS
Direct action including violence to property, protests, disruption and personal risk
Chaining themselves to railings, firebombing, breaking windows, hunger strikes in prison
Posters, newspapers, meetings, marches all aimed at getting as much publicity as possible
AUTHORITIES’ RESPONSE
The Prime Minister was Herbert Asquith
Heavy-handed and violent police, arrests, force feeding
The ‘Cat and Mouse Act’
OUTCOME
After the First World War, in 1918 women over 30 got the vote and ten years later all women could vote.
2
Key points – GENERAL STRIKE 1926
CAUSES
The fall in demand for coal
Mine owners demanded that miners worked longer hours for less pay
The TUC – representing all workers – voted to support the miners.
The Samuel Commission came down on the side of the owners.
LEADERS
AJ Cook was the leader of the miners.
The TUC was led by Walter Citrine, Jimmy Thomas and Ernest Bevin
TACTICS
Workers in all main industries refused to work, causing a shutdown of the docks, newspapers and and transport services.
Pickets tried to prevent lorries, trains and buses.
The strikers’ newspaper was the British Worker.
Workers formed their own trades councils and self defence committees.
AUTHORITIES’ RESPONSE
The Prime Minister was Stanley Baldwin. He had stockpiled coal. Every region was organised with army bases and soldiers protecting
lorries bringing supplies.
OMS volunteers drove vehicles and helped with services.
The government’s newspaper was the British Gazette.
The BBC only allowed the government side to speak on the radio.
The media accused the TUC of wanting a revolution.
OUTCOME
Although the strike was growing, after 8 days the TUC leaders gave in and ended the strike.
The miners carried on but in the end they had to give in.
Key points – MINERS’ STRIKE 1984-85
CAUSES
The Government announced plans to close down 20 coal mines, losing 20,000 jobs.
LEADERS
The leader of the NUM was Arthur Scargill.
TACTICS
Strikes supported by the strong communities in the mining villages.
Mass pickets of electricity power stations to try and stop coal getting to them.
Meetings, rallies, benefit concerts etc to get support from other trades unionists and community groups.
Soup kitchens etc to support strikers’ families.
Women Against Pit Closures – solidarity work by women in mining communities.
Media reports showed police brutality.
AUTHORITIES’ RESPONSE
The Prime Minister was Margaret Thatcher. She wanted to break the NUM and the trades union movement.
She appointed Ian McGregor to head the National Coal Board. He had a reputation for fighting trades unions.
Power stations were kept going .
The miners were divided: some refused to strike and a breakaway union was formed in Nottinghamshire.
The government used the police against mass pickets.
The courts were used to confiscate the NUM’s funds.
Media reports showed violence by the pickets.
Hardship and hunger caused many striking miners to go back to work.
Other unions and the TUC did not support the strike.
OUTCOME
After 11 months the strike ended without success and the miners went back to work.
Over the next ten years most coal mines in Britain were closed down.
4
Key points – POLL TAX PROTESTS 1989-90
CAUSES
The government replaced rates (paid according to house value) with a community charge (which involved rich and poor paying the
same amount).
This new tax was very unpopular and was nicknamed the Poll Tax.
LEADERS
No real leaders, but the All-Britain Anti Poll Tax Federation was led by Tommy Sullivan from Scotland.
TACTICS
Resistance in 4 main ways:
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non-registration
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non-payment
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non-implementation
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non-collection
In the end over 18 million people refused to pay the tax and many of them refused to pay the fines imposed by the courts.
Protests outside council offices to try to stop local councils setting the tax.
APTUs (Anti Poll Tax Unions) were set up all over the country.
There was a big protest march ending at Trafalgar Square on 31 March 1990 which developed into a battle between police and
protesters and a riot in central London.
AUTHORITIES’ RESPONSE
The Prime Minister was Margaret Thatcher. The government tried to use the courts and bailiffs to get people to pay.
Policing of the Trafalgar Square protest was very heavy handed.
As the movement came from the grassroots and had no real leaders it was hard for the government to control.
So many people were refusing to pay that they could not arrest everyone.
OUTCOME
Leaders of the Conservative Party realised they had to abandon the Poll Tax and they could not win the next election with Thatcher
leading them.
She was forced out of leadership by her own ministers and replaced by John Major.
5
The government ended the Poll Tax and replaced it with Council Tax. Millions of people never did pay the tax.
Protest, law and order in the 20th
century
Acronyms
Suffragettes:
NUWSS
WSPU
General Strike:
TUC
TIA
OMS
Miners’ Strike:
NUM
NCB
UDM
Poll Tax Protests:
APTUs
ABAPTF
Suffragists (nonviolent action)
Suffragettes (direct action)
trades union congress
triple alliance (railwaymen, dockers, transport workers)
volunteers to break the strike
miners’ union
coal board (running the mines for the government)
breakaway miners’ union in Nottinghamshire
anti-poll tax unions
all Britain anti-poll tax organisation
6
The Suffragettes
Early years 1903-1906
Very few rights for women and no right to
vote in general elections – ‘politics should
be left to men’.
How could powerless ‘outsiders’ persuade
those with power to share it with them?
Peaceful protest within the law? Work within
the system? Or break the law?
1897 National Union of Women’s Suffrage
Societies (NUWSS) led by Millicent
Fawcett: peaceful protest, letters, leaflets,
petitions etc. Known as the Suffragists.
But little change meant many thought this
was not enough.
1903 Women’s Social and Political Union
(WSPU), known as the Suffragettes. Set
up by Emmeline Pankhurst and her
daughters Christabel and Sylvia. ‘Deeds
not Words. One object, political equality
with men.’ They organised events to get
publicity and were ready to break the law.
Developments 1906-1908
1906 The Liberals won the election and many
thought they would give women the vote. But
Prime Minister Asquith said other reforms were
more important.
Suffragists and Suffragettes tried publicity events:
leaflets, Votes for Women newspaper, publicity
stunts, large demonstrations (300,000 in WSPU
march to Hyde Park 1908)
October 1906 WSPU Suffragettes broke the law by
protesting in the House of Commons. Arrested
and sent to prison.
Others chained themselves to railings outside
Downing Street.
No response from Asquith so WSPU decided to step
up their action.
Suffragette actions included setting fire to buildings
and post boxes, cutting telegraph wires,.
pouring acid on golf courses
NUWSS and WSPU split away from each other.
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The Suffragettes
Government attempts to deal
with the protests
The government found it hard to deal with the
protests without upsetting the public and giving
the Suffragettes more support.
Liberal MPs were divided about women’s votes –
some for and some against.
When the WSPU used direct action the government
took a hard line. They banned all women from
Liberal meetings.
WSPU members broke windows and refused to pay
fines. They wanted to be sent to prison.
They wanted to be treated as political prisoners but
the government treated them as ordinary
criminals (not allowed to speak, having to empty
their own chamber pots). They wanted to scare
and humiliate Suffragettes and put off others
from doing the same.
Some Suffragettes went on hunger strike.
The government did not want them to die in prison
and become martyrs.
The authorities began force-feeding the women in
prison. Wedges forced mouth to open, tube
pushed down through the nose. Sometimes the
food went into the lungs instead of the stomach.
Many health problems as a result.
This caused a public outcry and got the WSPU more
support.
1910 Asquith agreed to work with the WSPU and
NUWSS on a new Bill to give women the vote.
The Suffragettes called off violent protests. But
the new law never happened because Liberals
thought women would vote for the
Conservatives.
Friday 18th November 1910 (‘Black Friday’) over
300 Suffragettes protested angrily outside
Parliament. The police were told to scare and
humiliate them. Many women suffered violent
and sexual assault from the police.
Hundreds more women were now willing to go to
prison.
1911 big window-breaking campaign
1913 the ‘Cat and Mouse Act’ – hunger strikers
freed from prison before they were badly ill,
then arrested again when they were strong.
Balance of power – If authorities are powerful enough to squash a protest it gets nowhere.
If government is scared to use its power because of public reaction, protesters can force change.8
The Suffragettes
Suffragettes and the media
1913 the death of Emily Davison
At the Derby horse race she tried to stop the
king’s horse but was knocked down and
killed.
At first the media and public were against the
action. However the WSPU organised two
big funerals and made her a martyr.
Some newspapers were totally against the
idea of votes for women – e.g. The Times.
Other newspapers supported the women
when their methods were non-violent.
Some newspapers reported police violence.
One magazine (Punch) supported votes for
women.
But most newspapers were against the
Suffragettes.
However, when the WSPU used violence the
papers reported it and gave the
Suffragettes the publicity they wanted!
Why did a small number of women get so much
media publicity?
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Women getting arrested made a good story
Many people were shocked by women acting in
this way
The Suffragettes put the government under
pressure and people liked reading about this
Newspapers had strong views for or against
votes for women
The violent tactics of the authorities made a
good story
The Suffragettes were very good at publicity
How successful was the Suffragettes’ use of the
media?
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They wanted media attention and didn’t mind if
it was positive or negative.
But their more violent tactics meant some
women left them and joined the NUWSS.
Some important men could claim that they were
mentally unstable.
However, they kept the attention of the media.
Stalemate! The government could not crush the protests but women could not get
the vote unless the government changed the law.
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The Suffragettes
The end of the campaign
In 1913 Sylvia Pankhurst had split with her mother
and left the WSPU. She formed the East London
Federation for working-class women. She
wanted all women to have the vote.
Christabel Pankhurst only wanted the vote for
women with money and property.. She
supported more violent action.
In 1914 the First World War began. The WSPU
stopped all protests and supported the war
effort.
In return the government released all Suffragette
prisoners.
The NUWSS did not support the war as strongly as
the WSPU.
During the war women played an important, active
part doing jobs that had previously been for
men only. Women were clearly capable of doing
‘men’s work’.
Sylvia Pankhurst was strongly against the war, a
socialist and pacifist. But Emmeline and
Christabel worked to get young men to serve in
the armed forces.
The war ended in 1918.
In the same year the Representation of the People
Act gave the vote to women over 30 if they or
their husbands were householders.
In 1928 all women over 21 got the vote.
Did women get the vote because of the war or because
of the Suffragettes’ actions?
The war showed that women could do jobs just as well as men.
Many people had been put off by the Suffragette tactics.
However, it was the Suffragettes who had made the change in law
possible and they were the ones who pushed for it in 1918.
The government also did not want to go back to all the problems
before the war.
But only richer women got the vote in 1918.
THINK
• ‘Violent protest was the worst way of
campaigning for the vote.’ Do you agree?
• Did the government’s attitude to the
protests only help the Suffragettes’
campaign?
10
The General Strike 1926
The build-up.
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In the early 20th century coal was very important because it powered all technology – much like
oil today. Coal was Britain’s biggest industry.
Many described Britain as a land of ‘Two Nations’. The rich who enjoyed the wealth and power brought by
trade and industry, driven by coal… and the workers, making the factory goods and digging the coal.
Coal miners worked in some of the worst conditions of all.
In places like South Wales, Kent, South Yorkshire and the North-East they lived in villages in strong
communities.
They kept Britain rich …at great cost.
The miners’ union, the Miners Federation of Great Britain (MFGB) was strong.
The Triple Alliance (TIA)
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In 1914 the unions of the three other key workers – railwaymen, dockers and transport workers – joined
together and agreed to support workers like the miners in their disputes.
Conflict was growing between employers and organised workers.
War
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But then in 1914 war came. All sides agreed to fight the common enemy
Coal was needed for the war effort. The government nationalised the coal industry, taking control of the
mines and paying the miners directly.
There were jobs for all.
Wages went up and conditions improved.
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The General Strike 1926
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But prices went up too, and some mine owners were making lots of money for themselves.
After the war, they wanted to keep making lots of money.
And after the war the government gave the mines back to the private owners.
1921
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The TIA said they would support the miners in a strike.
But on the first day of the strike the railway union leader, Jimmy Thomas, refused to act.
This was known as ‘Black Friday’.
The miners were left alone and the strike failed after a lot of hardship.
Crisis
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But then in 1925, a major crisis hit the British coal industry.
Exports went down.
So the mine owners told the miners: “We’ll cut your wages to what they were 4 years ago…… and we’ll
make you work longer hours.”
The miners’ leader Arthur Cooke replied: “Not a penny off the pay! Not a second on the day!”
The mine owners said if the miners didn’t agree, they’d be locked out with no work and no pay.
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The General Strike 1926
The Trades Union Congress (TUC)
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They represented all the workers in unions – dockers, railwaymen, miners, transport workers etc.
They also wanted the mines to be nationalised – all run by the government, not by lots of private
businesses.
The Conservative government – led by Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin – was worried … and they bought
time by making a deal with the TUC.
‘Red Friday’ 31 July 1925
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The day the government agreed to the subsidy.
Some miners thought the government was on their side.
In reality the government was buying time.
Samuel
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In March 1926 the Samuel Commission reported.
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It said: “No nationalisation, and a pay cut of 13.5%”
In other words, it supported the mine owners.
… but at the beginning of May the mine owners began a lockout. They hoped poverty and hunger would
force the miners to give in.
The TUC members were ready to call a strike of two and a half million workers in support of the miners.
The leaders of the TUC – Walter Citrine, Ernest Bevin and Jimmy Thomas – didn’t want to go so far …
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13
The General Strike 1926
Nine days in May
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Daily Mail workers refused to print an anti-strike editorial.
The government pulled out of talks with the TUC.
TUC leaders called a general strike in support of the miners.
Government tactics.
The government planned carefully, supported by the media who portrayed the strike as a threat to
parliamentary democracy.
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They divided the country into regions, each with a headquarters and strong communication with London.
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They piled up food and other resources.
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They stockpiled coal.
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They organised emergency electricity generation.
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They made sure they controlled access to the media and published a newspaper, The British Gazette.
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They recruited a large number of special policemen.
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They made plans to use the armed forces to maintain supplies, guard key buildings and fight the strikers if
necessary.
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They set up the Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies (OMS) to train volunteers as strike
breakers, under Winston Churchill.
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The General Strike 1926
The strike
For 9 days two and a half million workers were on strike
The TUC were not as well planned as the government. The leaders wanted workers to strike in stages.
In fact, millions went on strike on the first day including many that were planned to strike later.
The strikers
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closed down docks, public transport, newspapers and many industries.
held daily meetings.
ran social and sporting events for strikers and their families.
tried to stop traffic moving around the country.
published a daily newspaper, The British Worker.
The BBC
The BBC allowed government ministers to make speeches on the radio.
The BBC refused to let union leaders or the Labour Party leader.
Meanwhile
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The strike grew and got stronger day by day.
Some workers formed self-defence militias and Councils of Action.
There were a few clashes between police and strikers (in London, Newcastle and Glasgow) but it was mainly
peaceful. In most places strike leaders and police worked together to avoid violence.
Over 5000 strikers were arrested.
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The General Strike 1926
The strike was growing
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Most public transport was stopped.
Police and army had to escort lorries from the docks.
Some buses and lorries were driven by strike-breaking volunteers.
Support for the strike was growing.
But...
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The TUC leaders did not want to be seen as traitors.
They were secretly meeting Sir Herbert Samuel, the man who led the Royal Commission that had looked
at miners’ pay in 1925. The TUC did not tell the miners’ leaders about this meeting.
The TUC leaders made a deal with Samuel. This said that the miners’ wages might be protected.
The TUC then called off the strike on 11th May. The miners felt betrayed.
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Now the miners were on their own.
The miners betrayed?
After the strike ended the government refused to follow the deal with Samuel. Instead they passed a law that made the
miners work 8 hours a day.
So the miners carried on striking for another 7 months but hunger and poverty finally forced them back to work.
Many were victimised. Some strikers were not allowed their jobs back. All miners were forced to accept longer hours
and lower wages.
In 1927 the British Government passed laws that made it illegal for workers to strike in sympathy with other workers
and made it harder to join a trades union.
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The General Strike 1926
A failure of leadership?
Why did the TUC Leaders end the strike? Some possible explanations...
• They had not wanted the strike in the first place
• They did not want to be seen as trying to wreck the country
• They didn’t want a revolution
• They didn’t think it would work
• They couldn’t control it
• They thought the economic situation was so bad that they had to be realistic
• They wanted to stop the Communist Party becoming too strong
• They were too close personally to the government ministers
• They were more on the side of the bosses than the workers
THINK
In your opinion, was it a political strike or an economic one?
If the strike had continued, who would have won?
17
The Miners’ Strike 1984-1985
The 1970s
Strong unions, weak governments.
Laws allowed the right to strike, to picket and to take
action in support of other workers.
In 1972 and 1974 miners went on strike over pay.
They picketed mines and power stations. Other
unions supported them., stopping fuel
transport.
The Conservative government tried to save power
with a 3-day working week but had to agree to
the miners’ demands.
In February 1974 the government lost the election.
Why did the miners succeed?
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Industry needed coal
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The government couldn’t get enough coal to
power stations
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Other unions supported the miners
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The strike was in winter when coal demand was
high
Thatcher and Scargill
In 1979 the Conservatives won power led by Margaret
Thatcher. She had been in the 1974 government
that was beaten by the miners.
After winning the Falklands War in 1982 and the election
in 1983 she was in a strong position.
Coal mining was in trouble, Foreign coal, oil or gas was
cheaper. Many mines were losing money.
On 1 March 1984 the government announced that it
would close 20 pits with the loss of 20,000 jobs.
The leader of the National Union of Mineworkers
(NUM) was Arthur Scargill. The NUM leaders began
a national miners’ strike.
News laws said workers must be balloted before a strike.
Scargill argued that different areas had already
voted for a strike so a national ballot wasn’t
needed.
Some miners saw this as undemocratic. For Scargill and
most NUM members it was a fight for survival.
Thatcher wanted to defeat the miners and she portrayed
it as another war, calling the miners ‘the enemy
within’.
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The Miners’ Strike 1984-1985
The miners’ tactics
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A national strike was harder for the government to
deal with than local strikes
As there was no national ballot there was no delay
and the strike started immediately
The strike was portrayed as a fight for survival
against a government wanting to destroy the miners
and the unions
‘Flying pickets’ travelled to more ‘economic’ mines
to try and stop work there
The media was used to show police brutality
The solidarity and pride of miners’ communities
helped them face hardship
Women in ,mining communities played a big part
supporting and organising
Only miners on pickets got money from the NUM
Miners who didn’t strike were called ‘scabs’ and
intimidated
Picketing workers resisted police attempts to get
workers into the mines. There were bitter fights
between police and pickets
Posters, badges, leaflets and appeals for support to
other unions and community groups in the UK and
overseas
Links to other groups opposing the government and
support from popular culture
The government’s tactics
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The Conservatives passed laws reducing union rights
Stockpiles of coal, private companies to transport coal and
some powers tations converted from coal to oil – as a result
power stations kept going
Heavy fines of £5 million imposed on the NUM because it had
not had a national ballot
Ian MacGregor was appointed head of the National Coal Board
(NCB) and he had a reputation for taking a hard line against
unions
No state benefits for miners (because the strike was ruled
illegal) – many families were in real poverty
Promises to the Nottinghamshire miners that their pits and jobs
were safe – this divided the miners
They got information about the NUM’s plans from people in
other unions.
Police brought in from all over the country so that miners’
villages had a massive police presence
Police used to stop strikers (‘flying pickets’) travelling between
strike areas
Stories fed to the media about NUM ‘corruption’ and ‘links with
the Soviet Union’
Ministers kept saying in the media that strikers were using
violence against miners who wanted to work
Miners against the strike were helped to form their own
breakaway union (the UDM) and the government promised
19
their pits would be kept open
The Miners’ Strike 1984-1985
The ‘Battle of Orgreave’
The media
Public opinion was divided. Support for the strike
was high in areas directly affected – South
Wales, South Yorkshire, Durham, Scotland, Kent
– but the government had a lot of support in
other areas.
This was partly because newspapers were strongly
against the strike – especially the Sun and Daily
Mail and even the Daily Mirror. Only leftwing
papers like the Socialist Worker and Morning
Star fully supported the miners.
Media reports made the strike seem violent, with
strikers attacking police and ‘scabs’ and this
affected public support,
The NUM argued that the fight was mostly between
unarmed men and women facing large numbers
of police heavily armed with batons, riot shields
and horses.
Orgreave
18 June 1984 outside the Orgreave coking pant in
South Yorkshire – the violence was seen by
millions on TV, showing strikers throwing rocks ,
bricks and bottles at police.
The way it was shown made it seem that the miners
started the violence and the police only charged
after being provoked.
As a result, public support for the miners dropped
and many union leaders criticised the strikers.
The media attacked the miners more and more
and NUM leaders had to call off mass pickets.
Much later the BBC admitted that they had reversed
the order of events.. In fact, police on horseback
had attacked peaceful pickets and caused
serious injuries. Only then did the miners fight
back.
20
The Miners’ Strike 1984-1985
Supporting the strike
In September 1984 the High Court ruled that the
strike was illegal.
As a result
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Striking miners could not get state benefits and
so had to live off handouts and charity
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The NUM was fined and refused to pay, so the
courts seized their funds
In mining areas poverty and hunger was common.
Many miners faced the dilemma
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Go back to work and be seen as a ‘scab’?
•
Or stay on strike and have no way of supporting
the family?
Miners support groups were set up, often led by
wives and girlfriends . Collections outside
supermarkets, communal kitchens, benefit
concerts.
Women Against Pit Closures – large numbers of
women took a leading part in organisation and
support work
Other unions
The TUC voted to support the strike but nothing
really happened and some unions refused ,
especially the electricians’ and steelworkers’
unions (even though the miners had supported
steelworkers in their strike in 1980)
The Labour Party did not support the strike, though
several local branches raised funds for strikers
and their families.
Many Nottinghamshire miners left the NUM and
formed a new union (the Union of Democratic
Mineworkers –UDM) that refused to strike.
They were encouraged by the government.
The union of colliery deputies and overmen
(NACODS) voted to strike but in the end they
called off their strike.
Meanwhile the National Coal Board (NCB) offered
cash, bonuses and higher wages to strikers who
went back to work.
More miners started drifting back to work.
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The Miners’ Strike 1984-1985
Outcomes
In late 1984 and early 1985 things got more
and more difficult for the NUM:
• MacGregor said some pits would be
privatised
• The TUC started putting pressure on the
NUM to settle
• The NCB claimed that 1200 strikers had
returned to work
• A taxi driver taking a working miner to
work was killed
• The High Court banned all mass picketing
in Yorkshire which meant if the NUM had
more than 6 people on a picket they
would lose their funds
• MacGregor said sacked miners would not
get their jobs back
The end
On 2 March 1985 the NUM voted 98 to 91 to end
the strike.
Extreme poverty meant they could not go on.
It had lasted 51 weeks without getting anything from
the NCB or the government.
The miners decided to go back to work with a
celebration of their struggle, with marches and
music.
Womens’ support groups gave flowers to the
returning miners.
Many mining communities were divided between
those who had stayed on strike and those who
had gone back to work.
Many NUM members were very angry with the
Nottinghamshire miners and saw them as strikebreakers.
Between 1985 and 1994 nearly all the coal mines in
the UK were closed down , including the
Nottinghamshire pits in spite of government
promises.
THINK
Why did the strike fail? Is there any way it could have succeeded?
The government thought they were going to win in a few weeks: why didn’t they?
22
THE POLL TAX PROTESTS 1990
What was the poll tax?
Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government
wanted to change the way local councils got
their money.
The old system (rates): people paid according to the
value of their house. People in expensive houses
paid more than people in cheap houses. But the
rate was the same however many people lived
in a house. The government said this was unfair
because it meant many people were paying
nothing for the services they got.
The new idea (community charge): every adult in the
country would pay the same amount, whatever
kind of house they lived in. That meant poor
people would pay as much as rich people.
The law for the new tax was passed by Parliament in
1987. The plan was to start it in Scotland in April
1989 and then in the rest of Britain in April
1990.
Everyone over 18 was told they had to pay the new
tax.
For example, the richest man in Britain was the Duke
of Westminster. In the old system he had to pay
£10,255. Now his tax was only £417 and his
servants had to pay exactly the same amount.
Surveys showed that 70% of people would be worse
off. Even those on income support had to pay
20% of the tax.
People living in rented properties came out very
badly. Under the old system landlords had to
pay the rates so they added to the rents to cover
the charge. But with the new system most
landlords didn’t reduce the rents even though
their tenants now had to pay the community
charge.
Between April and December 1989 Scottish
landlords made about £40 million profit.
People soon began calling the community charge the
poll tax. They were remembering what
happened in 1381 when a government tried to
tax everyone the same amount and the people
rose up in a rebellion known as the Peasants’
Revolt.
23
THE POLL TAX PROTESTS 1990
Protest or resistance?
The new tax was very unpopular. Protests started in
Scotland in 1989.
There were different ways of protesting. The Labour
party and trades unions wanted protest
marches and campaigns to persuade the
government to drop the tax. They did not agree
with breaking the law.
They organised a ‘Scottish Campaign Against the Poll
Tax’ with leaflets, stickers and posters.
But many grassroots organisations wanted to do
more. They set up a network of groups against
the tax. They decided to resist, to refuse to pay.
There was a divide between 2 ways of opposing the
tax:
(a) Protest within the law to get the government
ton change its mind or get people to vote
against the Conservatives in the next election
(b) Resistance to the law – people ready to refuse
to pay and take the consequences.
4 main types of resistance
(a) non-registration : not registering for the tax and
then taking no notice of the fines they were
told to pay
(b) non-payment: not paying and staying linked to
organised local groups that would defend
everyone taken to court
(c) Non-implementation: calling on councils to
refuse to carry out the tax
(d) Non-collection: asking all union members
responsible for collecting the tax to refuse to do
it
THINK
Which method was likely to be the most effective?
24
THE POLL TAX PROTESTS 1990
Grass-roots organisation and
tactics
The main form of resistance was non-payment.
By September 1989 at least 15% of people in
Scotland were refusing to pay. By April 1990 1
million people had not paid a penny.
The tax became law in England in April 1990. By July
there were 14 million non-payers.
By January 1991 in England non-payment in inner
London was 34% and even in rural areas it was
18%. The resistance had spread to all parts of
the country and all kinds of people. By March
over 18 million people were refusing to pay.
By the time the poll tax was abolished non-payment
reached over 50% in some parts of London. In
the end £2.5 billion of tax was never paid.
This caused huge problems for the government. They
couldn't arrest 18 million people! They couldn’t
accuse the protesters of being criminals.
When people went to court for refusing to pay the
tax, the court told them to pay fines: they then
refused to pay the fines as well. Only 28% of
those taken to court paid up and some even
went to prison.
The government couldn’t negotiate because the protest
wasn’t organised by political parties or trades
unions but by local groups.
These groups were called Anti-Poll Tax Unions (APTUs).
They started in Scotland and spread to England and
Wales where there were eventually over 1,000
APTUs.
The APTUs gave out information and supported people
not paying. They gave out information leaflets
about non-payment and how to avoid bailiffs
coming to take goods. They spray painted walls and
stuck posters to publicise the movement. They
made T-shirts, badges and mugs with slogans
against the poll tax.
When councils sent bailiffs to the houses of non-payers
to take their goods, APTU groups often organised
protests to stop them entering.
If people went to court the APTUs organised
demonstrations and gave legal advice.
In spite of the large numbers refusing to pay only 120
people were ever imprisoned.
THINK
Why was it hard for the authorities to act
against the resisters?
25
THE POLL TAX PROTESTS 1990
The Battle of Trafalgar Square 31
March 1990
As the movement grew the APTUs started linking
together and an All-Britain Anti-:Poll Tax
Federation (ABAPTF) was set up.
It started by organising demonstrations in different
regions. Every time local councils met to set the
poll tax rates, there were protests. Some were
peaceful but others saw violent clashes
between protesters and police, for example in
Bristol.
The ABAPTF decided to hold a national
demonstration in London on 31 March 1990.
Who were the leaders?
This was a grassroots movement of the people with
no prominent leaders. Lots of different groups
were involved including left-wing parties
(Socialist Workers Party, Militant Tendency etc) ,
anarchists (Class War) and members of APTU
federations. The Chair of the ABAPTF was the
Scottish Socialist Tommy Sullivan.
What happened on the day of the London march?
The plan was for the march to finish at Trafalgar
Square. The square can hold 60,000 people and
the organisers expected about 20,000. In fact
200,000 came.
The organisers, realising the march was so big, asked the
police to change the venue. The police refused.
The march started peacefully with people of all ages
from all walks of life.
20 protesters staged a sit-in outside Downing Street after
the police told them they could not hand in a
petition. Protesters said the police deliberately
provoked them. Some tried to get over the Downing
Street barricades.
300 more people decided to sit down in protest and
some fighting began between demonstrators and
police and the fighting spread to Trafalgar Square
itself.
Police on horses baton-charged the crowd and people
threw bottles, sticks and stones back at them.
Many of the demonstrators left but about 3,00 stayed to
face the police and there were pitched battles in
the square and rioting and looting in the
surrounding streets.
542 police officers and thousands of demonstrators and
passers-by were injured. There were 341 arrests
26
THE POLL TAX PROTESTS 1990
The end of the poll tax
The mass non-payments and the riot in Trafalgar
Square made it seem that the Government was
not in control. Police were blamed for being
‘heavy-handed’ and violent.
Organisers of the resistance feared that the riot
might cause public support to go down, but in
fact the campaign got stronger and protests
carried on all over the country.
In May 1990 the Conservatives did very badly in local
elections. MPs worried about how unpopular
they were becoming. Leaders of the party
decided that they could not win the next
General Election with Thatcher as leader. In
November 1990 she was forced by her own
ministers to resign.
The next Prime Minister was John Major. In April
1991 he announced that the poll tax would be
replaced by a new Council Tax in 1993. But the
Poll Tax would continue until then, so protests
carried on.
The role of the media
At first the media just reported the refusal of people
to pay the tax.
But in March 1990 there were clashes between
protesters and police outside town halls.
Newspapers started attacking left groups and
calling them ‘extremists’.
Most newspapers were against the protests and on
the side of council officers and bailiffs. The Su
and The People even printed police photos of
demonstrators and told readers to hand them
over to police.
On the other hand, TV footage of the demonstrators
showed people being deliberately hit by police
vans or trampled by horses.
THINK
Mass non-payment of the poll tax was successful.
The tax was abolished and Margaret Thatcher was
forced to resign.
Was it an organised campaign or a spontaneous
movement?
27