The Edge of Revolution

Author of the critically acclaimed The Wild Men, David Torrance explores another tumultuous and era-defining moment in British political history. On Tuesday 4 May 1926, two million workers downed tools in the only nationwide all-hands strike ever held in Britain.The General Strike had begun, and the country braced itself for what many believed was a moment akin to the Russian Revolution, which had shaken the world only a decade earlier.Industry was deprived of gas and electricity; the buses, trains and trams all stopped; newspapers ceased publication; and workers abandoned mines and iron, steel and chemical works around the country. The General Strike has entered our national mythology.Even though it lasted only nine days, it left a legacy of bitterness that has had a profound impact on politics. Now, a century on, Torrance tells this dramatic story from the perspective of everyone involved, drawing on extensive archival research to recreate those nine days through the accounts of thos