The Miners' Strike of 1984-85 was the most bitter industrial dispute in modern British history, and a decisive trial of strength between the government and the trade unions.

Background

Miners were powerful: strikes in 1972 and 1974 had even helped bring down the government of Edward Heath. Thatcher was determined this would not happen to her, and her government quietly prepared by stockpiling coal and strengthening police powers.

The Strike Begins

In March 1984 the National Coal Board announced pit closures. The NUM, under Arthur Scargill, called a strike - but crucially without a national ballot, which many felt weakened its legitimacy and led some miners to keep working. The dispute divided pit villages and even families.

Confrontation

Mass picketing led to violent clashes with the police, most notoriously at Orgreave in June 1984. Strikers' families endured a year of hardship, kept going by soup kitchens and women's support groups. But with coal stocks high, the strike could not force the government to give in.

Defeat and Legacy

In March 1985 the miners voted to return to work, beaten. The strike marked the end of union power as a major force in Britain, accelerated the collapse of the coal industry, and left lasting bitterness in former mining communities that is still felt today.

Year 9 Democracy and Dictatorship

The Miners' Strike 1984-85