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Striking against World War Two?: the 1940 coal strike

10:00am Sat 19 Apr
melbourne

About this session

Australia's support for World War II is often presented as totally ubiquitous amongst the population, as the nation united to support what was supposedly a global war against fascism. However, there are outliers to this - such as the resistance of coal miners who went on strike for months in 1940 over demands for better working conditions and to seize up the Australian war machine.

Recommended Reading

Coal miners during World War IIby Barbara Carol Heaton
The Coalminers of New South Wales: a History of the Union 1860-1960by Robin Gollan
A History of the Miner's Federation of Australiaby Edgar Ross
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