E75-76: Trinidad general strike

Double podcast episode about the Trinidad general strike of 1937, in conversation with Ryan Cecil Jobson.

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• Part 1: The background of British colonialism on the island, the conditions of the working class and poor, racial divisions, and the beginnings of unemployed and worker agitation in the 1930s

• Part 2: The general strike itself, the repression, the aftermath, its consequences and lessons for us today

More information

• WCH timeline of people’s history stories about Trinidad and Tobago 
• Books by CLR James

• Follow @ryanceciljobson on Twitter 
• Check out ryanceciljobson.com 

Sources

Sources used by WCH over the course of these episodes.

• ‌Nations U. 2023. Refworld | World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples – Trinidad and Tobago. Refworld. [accessed 2023 Apr 27]. https://www.refworld.org/docid/4954ce55c.html.
• Trinidad and Tobago 2023. Encyclopædia Britannica. [accessed 2023 Apr 27]. https://www.britannica.com/place/Trinidad-and-Tobago/History.
• British Caribbean slavery abolished, Working Class History. 2023. [accessed 2023 Apr 27]. https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8043/british-caribbean-slavery-abolished.
• Demerara enslaved rebellion, Working Class History. 2023. [accessed 2023 Apr 27]. https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8956/Demerara-rebellion-of-1823.
• Jamaica enslaved strike, Working Class History. 2023. [accessed 2023 Apr 27]. https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9888/jamaica-enslaved-strike.
• HM Treasury. 2022 Nov 16. Public spending statistics: November 2022. GOVUK. [accessed 2023 Apr 27]. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/public-spending-statistics-release-november-2022/public-spending-statistics-november-2022#total-departmental-expenditure-limits-2021-22-millions.
• Elma Francois agitates in Trinidad, Working Class History. 2023. [accessed 2023 Apr 27]. https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/7683/elma-francois-agitates-in-trinidad.
• Trinidad and Tobago Timeline, Working Class History. 2023, accessed April 27, 2023, https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/tag/8112/trinidad-and-tobago.
• Winterhalter E. 2020 Apr 22. The Defense of Ethiopia from Fascism – JSTOR Daily. JSTOR Daily. [accessed 2023 Apr 27]. https://daily.jstor.org/the-defense-of-ethiopia-from-fascism/.
• Jermoe Teelucksingh, Labour and the Decolonization Struggle in Trinidad and Tobago (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015)
• Harewood, Jack. “Population Growth of Trinidad and Tobago in the Twentieth Century.” Social and Economic Studies 12, no. 1 (1963): 1–26. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27853707.
• George John, 50 Years of the Ballot (Trinidad Express Newspapers, 1991).
• British West Indies Regiment mutiny, Working Class History. 2023. [accessed 2023 Apr 28]. https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10598/british-west-indies-regiment-mutiny.
• Apt Meri Vashti. 2023. Tubal Uriah Buzz Butler. Trinbagopancom. [accessed 2023 Apr 28]. http://trinbagopan.com/TubalUriah1.htm.
• 2021 Jan 16. Political theorists have been worrying about mob rule for 2,000 years. The Economist. [accessed 2023 Apr 28]. https://www.economist.com/international/2021/01/16/political-theorists-have-been-worrying-about-mob-rule-for-2000-years.
• The Delivery of Newgate 6 June 1780. 2020. libcomorg. [accessed 2023 Apr 28]. https://libcom.org/article/delivery-newgate-6-june-1780.
• Tom Vague, King Mob Echo: From Gordon Riots to Situationists & Sex Pistols. 2020. libcomorg. [accessed 2023 Apr 28]. https://libcom.org/article/king-mob-echo-gordon-riots-situationists-sex-pistols.

Acknowledgements

• Thanks to our patreon supporters for making this podcast possible. Special thanks to Jazz Hands, Jamison D. Saltsman and Fernando López Ojeda.
• Episode graphic: public domain.
• Edited by Jesse French
• Our theme tune is Bella Ciao, thanks for permission to use it from Dischi del Sole. You can purchase it here or stream it here.

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Transcript

Coming soon…