{"product_id":"the-battle-for-george-square-gordon-barclay-9780859767415","title":"The Battle for George Square 1919: Myth, Memory and the Military in Red Clydeside","description":"\u003cb\u003eGordon Barclay and Louise Heren scrutinize contemporary evidence to reveal a complex, contested Battle of George Square narrative.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Battle of George Square, a riot during the Forty Hours Strike in Glasgow, on 31 January 1919, is routinely claimed to be one of the most iconic events in Scottish working-class history. It is also the most mythologised. For a century, the narrative created for the defence of the strike leaders charged with incitement to riot - an 'unprovoked attack on a peaceful crowd' as an act of oppression - has been repeated uncritically by academic and popular writers. Mythology has almost completely replaced reality, most notably in the Scottish education system, where educational materials have been described by two prominent historians as, 'arrant propaganda' and a 'perversion of history'.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow, Gordon Barclay and Louise Heren have undertaken a meticulous examination of the contemporary evidence to tell a more complex story. In doing so they examine the ways writers have failed to subject the celebratory mythology of this iconic event to adequate scrutiny. They document the creation of the mythology, from the writings of the strike leaders to those who use the mythology of the Battle to promote their own politics. They also examine the legal basis and reality of the military deployment to Glasgow in the aftermath of the riot.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Gordon Barclay,Louise Heren\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0859767418\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780859767415\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e John Donald Publishers\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/16\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 368\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback","brand":"Gordon Barclay","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":49097179595007,"sku":"9780859767415","price":34.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-battle-for-george-square-gordon-barclay-9780859767415","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}