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The Edge of Revolution
- Author
- David Torrance
- Narrator
- David Torrance
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Publish Date
- 26 March 2026
- Run Time
- 9 hours 11 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
Author of the critically acclaimed The Wild Men, David Torrance explores another tumultuous and era-defining moment in British political history.
On Tuesday 4 May 1926, two million workers downed tools in the only nationwide all-hands strike ever held in Britain. The General Strike had begun, and the country braced itself for what many believed was a moment akin to the Russian Revolution, which had shaken the world only a decade earlier. Industry was deprived of gas and electricity; the buses, trains and trams all stopped; newspapers ceased publication; and workers abandoned mines and iron, steel and chemical works around the country.
The General Strike has entered our national mythology. Even though it lasted only nine days, it left a legacy of bitterness that has had a profound impact on politics.
Now, a century on, Torrance tells this dramatic story from the perspective of everyone involved, drawing on extensive archival research to recreate those nine days through the accounts of those who lived and breathed it. The result is an absorbing and comprehensive analysis of this unique episode in British history.
Critics Review
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Compelling ... Vivid ... Fascinating
Financial Times
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This is an eminently readable, even-handed and exhaustively researched account of a pivotal moment in modern Britain. It will be the definitive version for years to come, and may even restore the General Strike to its place in our collective consciousness.
The Times
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Superb … The Edge of Revolution is told with equal verve and authority … Torrance has a superb conception both of the political figures and of the union men … Torrance has a deep understanding of the British temper
The Spectator
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Torrance’s account is balanced, solidly researched, and takes the story of the strike further beyond London than many similar histories manage
The Scotsman
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Magisterial
Daily Mirror
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Torrance imaginatively recreates a turning point in the UK’s political and social history
The Herald
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Torrance really excels at vivid pen portraits that bring to life the central characters
The Critic
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David Torrance writes with verve and brio about one of the most dramatic events in modern British social, economic and political history. His book brings the events of the general strike alive for a modern readership, a hundred years after it occurred.
Professor of History and Foreign Policy, War Studies, King's College London
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- David Torrance
- Narrator
- David Torrance
- Duration
- 9 hours 11 minutes
- Release Date
- 26 March 2026
- ISBN
- 9781399423588
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Genre
- Social and cultural history, Political structures / systems: democracy, Left-of-centre democratic ideologies and movements, Trade unions
Synopsis
Bloomsbury presents The Edge of Revolution written and read by David TorranceAuthor of the critically acclaimed The Wild Men, David Torrance explores another tumultuous and era-defining moment in British political history.On Tuesday 4 May 1926, two million workers downed tools in the only nationwide all-hands strike ever held in Britain. The General Strike had begun, and the country braced itself for what many believed was a moment akin to the Russian Revolution, which had shaken the world only a decade earlier. Industry was deprived of gas and electricity; the buses, trains and trams all stopped; newspapers ceased publication; and workers abandoned mines and iron, steel and chemical works around the country.The General Strike has entered our national mythology. Even though it lasted only nine days, it left a legacy of bitterness that has had a profound impact on politics.Now, a century on, Torrance tells this dramatic story from the perspective of everyone involved, drawing on extensive archival research to recreate those nine days through the accounts of those who lived and breathed it. The result is an absorbing and comprehensive analysis of this unique episode in British history.
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