One hundred years ago, a workers’ protest championing improvements to pay and working conditions and shorter working weeks descended into skirmishes with police in Glasgow’s main civic square.

The event, also known as the Battle of George Square, was part of a sustained period of left wing militant action in the West of Scotland. It has subsequently been known as ‘Red Clydeside’, and would last until the 1930s.

‘Red Clydeside’: Left Wing Activism During WW1

During the First World War, Glasgow played a crucial role as Scotland’s industrial powerhouse. It provided the Navy with ships and submarines, and met the constant demand for munitions.

The city’s population quickly expanded during this time. Workers moved into the area from all over the country. This rapid expansion meant a huge working class population faced cramped living conditions.

These worsening conditions, coupled with growing unionisation among workers, contributed to a rise in socialist interest in the West of Scotland.

Many felt the Liberal government of the time did not represent the working class. Workers protested throughout the war years, striking in factories, mines and shipyards.

The Clydeside Rent Strike and Munitions of War Act

At the same time, landlords increased rents despite housing shortages.

The Clydeside Rent Strike of 1915 saw organisations like the South Govan Housing Association (led by Mary Barbour and Helen Crawfurd) take action.

These strikes were backed by trade unions, the Labour Party, suffragettes and other left wing political groups.

The introduction of the Munitions of War Act in the same year added more discontentment.

The Act allowed lower skilled workers opportunities to perform work that would usually require someone with much higher skill. It allowed employers to increase working hours and cap wages.

Tensions between the government and Glasgow’s working class continued to grow throughout the war years, coming to a head soon after the Armistice.

Bloody Friday: The Battle of George Square

The conclusion of the First World War saw thousands of troops return to Britain, flooding job markets.

In Glasgow, the trade union-led Clyde Workers’ Committee (CWC) wanted to help create jobs for returning soldiers by reducing the average working week for those already in employment from 54 to 40 hours.

They called for a “40 hours strike” and went to Glasgow City Chambers to present their case to the Lord Provost on Wednesday 29 January 1919. They were supported by thousands of striking workers outside in George Square.

On Friday 31 January, tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in George Square to hear the Lord Provost’s reply to the CWC’s requests.

What began as a protest soon became a riot. Clashes broke out between the police and the striking workers. Fighting across the city continued throughout the night. 53 people were recorded as injured.

Within a week of the riot, a compromise was met and the working week was reduced to 47 hours.

The aura of Red Clydeside grew as delegations of organised labour replaced the Liberal Party as the political formation most popular among the working class. This manifested itself at the 1922 general election, when several of the Red Clydesiders were elected to serve in the House of Commons (most of them Independent Labour Party members). They included Maxton, Wheatley, Shinwell, Kirkwood, Neil Maclean and George Buchanan.

According to the Labour Party, the Red Clydesiders were viewed as having a dissident left-wing character. Many of them, most notably Maxton and Wheatley, were great critics of the first and second Labour governments, elected in 1924 and 1929 respectively.

The Red Clydeside era still impacts upon the politics of the area today. Ever since, Glasgow has been known for political and industrial militancy. The Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Work In of 1971 offers a pertinent example. Until 2015, the Labour Party held the most influence as the dominant political force in the area.

This period in Glasgow’s colourful past remains a significant landmark for those on the political left in Scotland. The story of the Red Clydesiders can still be politically motivating. At the 1989 Glasgow Central by-election, the Scottish National Party candidate Alex Neil called himself and the SNP member of Parliament for Govan at the time, Jim Sillars; the "new Clydesiders".

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