ABSTRACT
Both at home and abroad the period 1926–39 was one of great turbulence by any standards: the General Strike of 1926, the Wall Street Crash of 1931, the rise of Fascism in Europe with the Nazis taking power in Germany in 1934, the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, and the war between Britain and Germany in 1939. Throughout the years Conservative governments were in power whether under that name or that of a National government, with the exception of the ill-fated second minority Labour government of 1929, which in spite of economic difficulties contained members who did try to make progress in education matters. Throughout the period there were never less than 1 million people registered as unemployed with the numbers peaking at over 3 million in 1931; affiliated TUC membership reflected these figures although there was a time lag. TUC Figures for the Unemployed in 1931
|
Insured Workers Unemployed |
TUC Affiliated Membership 1 |
|
|---|---|---|
|
1926 |
1,505,000 |
4,365,619 |
|
1932 |
2,829,000 |
3,613,273 |
|
1934 |
2,171,000 |
3,294,581 |
|
1939 |
1,408,000 |
4,669,186 |
