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Robert Smillie
Robert Smillie (17 March 1857 – 16 February 1940) was a Scottish trade unionist and Labour Party politician. He was a leader of the coal miners, and played a central role in moving support from the miners away from the Liberal Party to the Labour Party. He had a firm commitment to socialism as an ideal, and militancy as a tactic. Early life Born in Belfast, the second son of John Smillie, a Scottish crofter. Until his adult years, he spelt his name as "Smellie"; including on his wedding certificate in 1878. During his early years, he was orphaned and brought up by his grandmother who taught him how to read and write. By the age of nine, he was working as an errand boy and by the age of eleven, he was working at a spinning mill. He was able to obtain some books by authors such as Charles Dickens, Robert Burns and William Shakespeare, but his education suffered as he had to provide income for the family. By the age of fifteen, he had left Ireland for Glasgow, where he found ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom that has been described as an alliance of social democrats, democratic socialists and trade unionists. The Labour Party sits on the centre-left of the political spectrum. In all general elections since 1922, Labour has been either the governing party or the Official Opposition. There have been six Labour prime ministers and thirteen Labour ministries. The party holds the annual Labour Party Conference, at which party policy is formulated. The party was founded in 1900, having grown out of the trade union movement and socialist parties of the 19th century. It overtook the Liberal Party to become the main opposition to the Conservative Party in the early 1920s, forming two minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in the 1920s and early 1930s. Labour served in the wartime coalition of 1940–1945, after which Clement Attlee's Labour government established the National Health Service and expanded the welfa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Triple Alliance (1914)
:''The Triple Alliance is not to be confused with the Triple Entente or Triple Alliance (1882).'' The Triple Alliance was an alliance of British trade unions: the Miners Federation of Great Britain, the National Union of Railwaymen and the National Transport Workers' Federation (an association of dockers, seamen, tramwaymen and road vehicle workers' unions). Formation and pre-war activity After a period of intense industrial unrest beginning in July 1910, the Triple Alliance was formed in early 1914 by the Miners Federation of Great Britain, the newly-unified National Union of Railwaymen and the National Transport Workers' Federation The National Transport Workers' Federation (NTWF) was an association of British trade unions. It was formed in 1910 to co-ordinate the activities of various organisations catering for dockers, seamen, tramwaymen and road transport workers. Histor .... It appeared to signal a significant step towards greater unity and syndicalist ideology within Br ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fighting occurring throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Pacific, and parts of Asia. An estimated 9 million soldiers were killed in combat, plus another 23 million wounded, while 5 million civilians died as a result of military action, hunger, and disease. Millions more died in genocides within the Ottoman Empire and in the 1918 influenza pandemic, which was exacerbated by the movement of combatants during the war. Prior to 1914, the European great powers were divided between the Triple Entente (comprising France, Russia, and Britain) and the Triple Alliance (containing Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy). Tensions in the Balkans came to a head on 28 June 1914, following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paris Peace Conference, 1919
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the List of cities proper by population density, 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Since the 17th century, Paris has been one of the world's major centres of finance, diplomacy, commerce, Fashion capital, fashion, gastronomy, and science. For its leading role in the arts and sciences, as well as its very early system of street lighting, in the 19th century it became known as "the City of Light". Like London, prior to the Second World War, it was also sometimes called Caput Mundi#Paris, the capital of the world. The City of Paris is the centre of the Île-de-France Regions of France, region, or Paris Region, with an estimated population of 12,262,544 in 2019, or about 19% of the population of France, making the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Maclean (Scottish Socialist)
John Maclean (24 August 1879 – 30 November 1923) was a Scottish schoolteacher and revolutionary socialist of the Red Clydeside era. He was notable for his outspoken opposition to the First World War, which caused his arrest under the Defence of the Realm Act and loss of his teaching post, after which he became a full-time Marxist lecturer and organiser. In April 1918 he was arrested for sedition, and his 75-minute speech from the dock became a celebrated text for Scottish left-wingers. He was sentenced to five years' penal servitude, but was released after the November armistice. Maclean believed that Scottish workers were especially fitted to lead the revolution, and talked of " Celtic communism", inspired by clan spirit. But his launch of a Scottish Workers Republican Party and a Scottish Communist Party were largely unsuccessful. Although he had been appointed Bolshevik representative in Scotland, he was not in harmony with the Communist Party of Great Britain, even ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Maxton
James Maxton (22 June 1885 – 23 July 1946) was a British left-wing politician, and leader of the Independent Labour Party. He was a pacifist who opposed both world wars. A prominent proponent of Home Rule for Scotland, he is remembered as one of the leading figures of the Red Clydeside era. He broke with Ramsay MacDonald and the second minority Labour government, and became one of its most bitter critics. As the leader of the Independent Labour Party (ILP), he disaffiliated the ILP from the mainstream party in 1932. Afterwards, he became an independent dissident outside front-line politics. Biography Early years Born in then burgh of Pollokshaws (now part of the city of Glasgow) in 1885, James Maxton was the son of two schoolteachers. He would himself later enter that profession after his education at Hutchesons' Boys' Grammar School and the University of Glasgow. Whilst studying at the University of Glasgow, Maxton had described his political loyalties as lying with the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tom Johnston (British Politician)
Thomas Johnston (2 November 1881 – 5 September 1965) was a prominent Scottish socialist journalist who became a politician of the early 20th century, a member of the Labour Party, a member of parliament (MP) and government minister – usually with Cabinet responsibility for Scottish affairs. He was also a notable figure in the Friendly society movement in Scotland. Red Clydesider Johnston was the son of David Johnston, a grocer, and his wife, Mary Blackwood. He was born in Kirkintilloch in 1881 and educated at Kirkintilloch Board School then at Lenzie Academy. Studying Moral Philosophy and Political Economy at the University of Glasgow, he failed to graduate, but helped launch the left-wing journal, '' Forward'', in 1906, and in the same city later became associated with the 'Red Clydesiders', a socialist grouping that included James Maxton and Manny Shinwell. In 1909 he published a book, ''Our Scots Noble Families'', which aimed to discredit the landed aristocracy. F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Kirkwood
David Kirkwood, 1st Baron Kirkwood, PC (8 July 1872 – 16 April 1955), was a Scottish politician, trade unionist and socialist activist from the East End of Glasgow, who was as a leading figure of the Red Clydeside era. Biography Kirkwood was educated at Parkhead Public School and was trained as an engineer. Kirkwood's earliest political involvement was through his trade union, the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, and the Socialist Labour Party, which he left in 1914 to join the Independent Labour Party (ILP). He was recognised as the Scottish engineers' leader for many years. He served on the Glasgow Trade Council and was a member of the Clyde Workers' Committee (CWC), an organisation chaired by William Gallacher. The CWC grew out of the Clyde engineers' pay dispute of 1915. Until its effective suppression in early-1916, it organised shop floor opposition to the policies of the Ministry of Munitions with regard to Leaving Certificates and Dilution of Labour. Kirkwood ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joseph Forbes Duncan
Joseph Forbes Duncan (3 June 1879 – 1 December 1964) was a Scottish people, Scottish trade unionist and politician. Born in Boat of Bridge in Banffshire, Duncan grew up in Ruthriston near Aberdeen and was educated at Robert Gordon's College. He left school aged fifteen then, when he was seventeen, moved to London to work for the Post Office. However, he suffered from poor health, and moved back to Scotland in 1898, finding work in Aberdeen. While there, he became politically active, joining the local The Clarion (British newspaper), Clarion Club, and lecturing on Marxism. In 1904, Duncan took up the general secretaryship of the Scottish Steam Vessels Enginemen's and Firemen's Union (SSVEFU); he led it through two strikes, in 1905 and 1907, but both took place against his wishes and achieved little. The union delegated him to attend the Aberdeen Trades Council (ATC), and through this sat on various town council committees, and also the executive of the Scottish Workers' Repre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jennie Lee, Baroness Lee Of Asheridge
Janet Lee, Baroness Lee of Asheridge, PC LLD HonFRA (3 November 1904 – 16 November 1988), known as Jennie Lee, was a Scottish politician. She was a Labour Member of Parliament from a by-election in 1929 until 1931 and then from 1945 to 1970. As Minister for the Arts in Harold Wilson's government of 1964–1970, she played a leading role in the foundation of the Open University working directly with Harold Wilson to establish the principle of open access: Enrolment as a student of the University should be open to everyone … irrespective of educational qualifications, and no formal entrance requirement should be imposed. She was married to the Welsh Labour politician Aneurin Bevan from 1934 until his death in 1960. Early life Born in Lochgelly, in Fife, to Euphemia Greig and James Lee, a miner who held the post of fire and safety officer,Hollis, Patricia (2014). Jennie Lee: a life. 2nd edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. . and later a hotelier. She had a young ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
First MacDonald Ministry
The first MacDonald ministry of the United Kingdom lasted from January to November 1924. The Labour Party, under Ramsay MacDonald, had failed to win the general election of December 1923, with 191 seats, although the combined Opposition tally exceeded that of the Conservative government, creating a hung parliament. Stanley Baldwin remained in office until January 1924. The Conservatives had won the previous general election held in 1922 shortly after the fall of the Lloyd George Coalition when along with their Unionist allies, they had won 344 seats. This seemed a significant enough majority to expect a full parliamentary term. Nevertheless, shortly after the election the Conservative leader Bonar Law died and was replaced by Baldwin, who reneged on his predecessor's electoral pledge not to introduce protective tariffs. Baldwin sought a fresh mandate from the electorate in 1923. The result was decisive, being against protectionism, and it was clear that the Conservatives had ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Morpeth (UK Parliament Constituency)
Morpeth was a constituency centred on the town of Morpeth in Northumberland represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1553 to 1707, the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and then the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1800 to 1983. The Parliamentary Borough of Morpeth first sent Members (MPs) to Parliament in 1553. It elected two MPs under the bloc vote system until the 1832 general election, when the Great Reform Act reduced its representation to one MP, elected under the first past the post system. The seat was redesignated as a county constituency for the 1950 general election and abolished for the 1983 general election. Boundaries 1832-1868 The parliamentary borough, as defined by the Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832, comprised the township of Morpeth and several surrounding townships, as well as the parish of Bedlington. 1868-1918 Under the Boundary Act 1868, the borough was expanded to include the townships of C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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