Policing Industrial Disputes, 1893-1984

The re-emergence of prolonged and bitter industrial violence during the recent miners' dispute prompted many onlookers to speculate that British society was rushing headlong into anarchy. Others, more fearful of order than chaos, felt that they were witnessing the emergence of a police state. In this study Dr Geary provides a fascinating and detailed account of the changing nature of industrial violence, in which historic episodes such as the Featherstone Shootings and Tonypandy Riots are examined as part of a general analysis of the shifting patterns of industrial confrontation. His central contention is that both police and strikers are subject to many, sometimes contradictory, political pressures in the industrial context. As these political constraints tighten or relax so the nature of industrial disorder and the corresponding tactics of police control change. Dr Geary's balanced appraisal of industrial violence should greatly enhance our understanding of what has become a political issue of the utmost significance.Geary, Roger is the author of 'Policing Industrial Disputes, 1893-1984', published 1985 under ISBN 9780521303156 and ISBN 052130315X.