in Wales to 1980.
of the favour representation:
itself would go First ed. Hardly Iney general fell away.
mere economism.
subjects write The Fed, by Hywel Francis and David Smith, is the history of the South Wales Miners Federation in this century. munities in South Wales, the book is essenti understanding of political the union histories, this one is highly readable Lawrence and Wishart, £5.50 pbk.
Fields of Praise, by Gareth Williams and David Smith, is the official history of the Welsh Rugby Union. For anybody interested in sport this book is of value simp. ly for the momentous occasions of the Welsh national game. But it does more. It firmly locates rugby within the development of Welsh economic, political, and social history.
University of Wales Press, £12.95.
People and a Proletariat edited by David Smith is a collection of essays on the history of Wales from 1780 Written bI Llafur throws, new light on Welsh life and culture. Pluto Press, £4.95 pbk.
religious, Welsh-speaking pillars labour movement, of parliamentary Their idea was that the union on to take increasing control of society. The War built up all you those hopes because increasing numbers joined the labour force as more coal was being demand.
post-war slump coming. anybody Saw the From these ideas being seen as potentially wielding a sword became defensive; the strike was defensive. nere were lockours. pere war a great deal of bitterness within movement.
In the 1920s and later these ideas lacked vitality. But they did give a legacy of thoughtful militancy and political organisaworktorce that cites always ready to move beyond both One of the most interesting about which you the "Littie Moscows', villages like Mardy. How generalised was the domination of the CP?
was special because of the leadership it attracted.
are number of CAISON that occurred — the late development of the pits; the large pits and the fact that the men could pay for good leadership. It was also an isolated village at the top of one particular valley But there were other villages, like Bedlinog, where the struggle unionism took place in the 1930s, where they had a Communist chamber of trade at one point. They even had a red butcher! In 1927 the Rhondda Borough Labour Par- the ty and the Maesteg Labour Party both split and reformed after they were completely taken over by CP sympathisers. for think people ofter other nisunderstand the nature of th Although move one designated, named Given the importance of the mining commoan in Wales. Unlik members each article place to another in the Rhondda you are really in one huge urban There were more Communists and more Communist councillors in mid-Rhondda; was a very militant area. But Koondda was a Little Moscow that mid because it consisted of five or six townships same kind of total domination.
And even in Mardy there was always aLiale Moscoon eras an epithet Conservative club.
put on it by the enemies of com. munism but proudly adopted by the local inhabitants.
One of the other interesting phenomena wère the miners Hywel Francis in History Workshop Journal the case of Tredegar which had subscriptions Pravda and the York Herald Tribune. How widespread were they?
The institute libraries were all over the place. Originally philanthropic they were buit hv coalowners. , but by the 1920s they were virtually in the hands of the miners were in villages which for the part were déprived of social amenities.
They contained dance halls, swimming pools, billiard rooms, debating chambers, as well as the great libraries. , These books . were usually picked by elected committees Their choices reflected their interests.
Obviously thev picked novels, works of great literature but this was a time : of workerauthor didactism. They wanted to learn. They were full of improving works in the literary, political, geological and scientific sense As pits have closed so have institutes. Some stil exis but more as social centres The spread of public libraries 1940s dispensed with the need them and now there The cultural brain of the coalfield -because they were the brain has now gone.
Socialist Challenge 17 December 1980