Review of "Prelude to Power," and "The Big Strikes."
These two books I'm mentioning in tandem because they compliment each other well.
"Prelude to Power," is the Left's attempt at a history of the ALP. Unlike "The Light on the Hill," Prelude is a through examination of the people, events, and general social conditions during the rise of the ALP (Whereas The Light is a list of individual MPs and their greatest achievement). As such, Prelude could only have limited scope. It is split into three sections, about half the book is dedicated to the political developments within QLD at the time, with the other 2 sections discussing the Trade Union Movement and the personalities that created the Party in QLD. It is full of lessons, but I'll say it was correct for Party MPs to vote against caucus decision when universal suffrage was offered at the last minute, that the development of class consciousness through class struggle is necessary to build the Party, and that it is necessary to identify the issues facing certain electorates/groups in order to effectively engage them.
"The Big Strikes," is a history of the Trade Union movement in QLD. It covers a longer timeframe than Prelude, but it is discussing much narrower subject matter. Each chapter has lessons for prospective organisers, but my favourite takes from this book were from the 1911 Sugar Strike, and the 1935 Weil's Strike. The 1911 strike was doggedly organised, and so won all of its demands (half at the negotiating table, half through royal commission). It also created a reliable voting base for the ALP for generations to come. The 1935 Strike was a wildcat action waged against the entrenched AWU officials, but while considered a defeat at the bargaining table, it succeeded in laying the basis for burning came across QLD (which Randolf Bedford infamously decried to history's distaste). Burning the cane was an important WHS victory for the cane cutters, as Weil's disease was spread by rats in the cane, while snakes and other vermin also posed a hazard. Burning the cane flushed the vermin out of the cane, and it was believed to sterilise the soil. Cane fires subsequently became a cultural feature in QLD, ending only after mechanical harvesters replaced cane knive
"Prelude to Power," is the Left's attempt at a history of the ALP. Unlike "The Light on the Hill," Prelude is a through examination of the people, events, and general social conditions during the rise of the ALP (Whereas The Light is a list of individual MPs and their greatest achievement). As such, Prelude could only have limited scope. It is split into three sections, about half the book is dedicated to the political developments within QLD at the time, with the other 2 sections discussing the Trade Union Movement and the personalities that created the Party in QLD. It is full of lessons, but I'll say it was correct for Party MPs to vote against caucus decision when universal suffrage was offered at the last minute, that the development of class consciousness through class struggle is necessary to build the Party, and that it is necessary to identify the issues facing certain electorates/groups in order to effectively engage them.
"The Big Strikes," is a history of the Trade Union movement in QLD. It covers a longer timeframe than Prelude, but it is discussing much narrower subject matter. Each chapter has lessons for prospective organisers, but my favourite takes from this book were from the 1911 Sugar Strike, and the 1935 Weil's Strike. The 1911 strike was doggedly organised, and so won all of its demands (half at the negotiating table, half through royal commission). It also created a reliable voting base for the ALP for generations to come. The 1935 Strike was a wildcat action waged against the entrenched AWU officials, but while considered a defeat at the bargaining table, it succeeded in laying the basis for burning came across QLD (which Randolf Bedford infamously decried to history's distaste). Burning the cane was an important WHS victory for the cane cutters, as Weil's disease was spread by rats in the cane, while snakes and other vermin also posed a hazard. Burning the cane flushed the vermin out of the cane, and it was believed to sterilise the soil. Cane fires subsequently became a cultural feature in QLD, ending only after mechanical harvesters replaced cane knive
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