Labour Research July 2004

Reviews

The radical and revolting

The English working class

Revolutions Per Minute No.12, 54 pages, £2.50

This small booklet provides a journey through the important events and landmarks of working class solidarity over nearly 400 years of history.

It contains concise articles on the Levellers and Diggers (1642-1649), the Luddites and the early methods of organising in the face of repression. It explains how the transportation of the Tolpuddle Martyrs in 1834 for forming a trade union was met by widespread protest amongst working people across the country.

After an article about the period 1831-1849 from Chartism to Red Republicanism it covers the Suffragette struggle for equal rights for women. The booklet also includes an eye witness account of the Battle of Cable Street and an article on the 1984-85 miners' strike.

Finally it comes up to date with an account of the anti-war demonstrations that took place in the UK and across the world.