{"product_id":"backbone-of-the-nation-robert-gildea-9780300277906","title":"Backbone of the Nation: Mining Communities and the Great Strike of 1984-85","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"An admirably compassionate testament\"--Max Hastings, \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"A vivid and evocative panorama\"--James Graham, \u003ci\u003eThe Observer\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Superb\"--John Harris, \u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eA powerful new history of the Great Strike in the miners' own voices, based on more than 140 interviews with former miners and their families\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Forty years ago, Arthur Scargill led the National Union of Mineworkers on one of the largest strikes in British history. A deep sense of pride existed within Britain's mining communities who thought of themselves as the backbone of the nation's economy. But they were vilified by Margaret Thatcher's government and eventually broken: deprived of their jobs, their livelihoods, and in some cases, their lives. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In this groundbreaking new history, Robert Gildea interviews those miners and their families who fought to defend themselves. Exploring mining communities from South Wales to the Midlands, Yorkshire, County Durham, and Fife, Gildea shows how the miners and their families organized to protect themselves, and how a network of activists mobilized to support them. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Amid the recent wave of industrial action in the United Kingdom, \u003ci\u003eBackbone of the Nation\u003c\/i\u003e highlights anew the importance of labor organization--and intimately records the triumphs, losses, and resilience of these mining communities.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Robert Gildea\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0300277903\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780300277906\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Yale University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/12\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 496\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.95lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.40h x 4.80w x 1.70d","brand":"Robert Gildea","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44716262949119,"sku":"9780300277906","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_d1f48d09-b669-4d14-be91-8610639cc30d.jpg?v=1705681613","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/backbone-of-the-nation-robert-gildea-9780300277906","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}