Dublin Labor Strike

Dublin Labor Strike 

a very important strike by the workers of Dublin between August 1913 and January 1914. The highwater mark of the strike movement in Great Britain and Ireland, which developed under the influence of the Revolution of 1905-07 in Russia.

The first to go on strike (August 26) were the Dublin streetcar workers, who were protesting the firing of members of the Union of Transportation and Unskilled Workers. They were joined by dockworkers, railroad workers, workers from other enterprises, and farm laborers. In November the strike became general. During the strike an armed proletarian organization was created—the Irish Citizen Army. As a result of the position adopted by the leaders of the British Trades Union Congress, which deprived the strikers of financial support, the Dublin labor strike was cut short. Nevertheless, fearing a new outbreak of strike struggles, the owners of enterprises were compelled to refrain from attempts to forbid workers from becoming members of trade unions. The Dublin labor strike demonstrated the organizational capacity and strength of the Irish proletariat and contributed to the sharpening of the political crisis in Great Britain and the strengthening of the national liberation struggle in Ireland.

REFERENCES

Lenin, V. I. “Klassovaia voina v Dubline.” Poln. sobr. soch., 5th ed., vol. 23.
Lenin, V. I. “Nedeliu spustia posle poboishcha v Dubline.” Ibid.
Cherniak, E. B. “Dublinskaia stachka 1913.” In the collection Uch. zapiski po novoi i noveishei istorii, fasc. 3. Moscow, 1957.

L. I. GOL’MAN