An Example to the Nation, 1931–9

Abstract

The period between 1926 and 1931 had been one of reorientation for the T.U.C. Most of the radical proposals for internal change in the trade-union movement had been quietly dropped, so that increasingly their only advocates were found upon the extreme Left. Advocacy of massive co-ordinated industrial action and revolution became virtually synonymous, and the General Council set its face against both. Instead of proposing structural reform and a transfer of power to the centre, the General Council had sought to extend its influence in the movement by giving a more realistic definition of policy objectives, and in its handling of the economic problems of the day it certainly acquired a new sophistication and maturity. Undoubtedly the influence of Bevin and Citrine was decisive in this respect, although the part played by Arthur Pugh, and by Milne-Bailey as head of the Research Department, should not be overlooked.