The miners’ strike: a view from the ground

In March 1984, miners across Britain walked out of the pits and refused to go back. What followed was one of the longest, largest, and most divisive strikes in British history, as the miners stayed out of work to fight for the survival of their livelihoods and communities. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, Robert Gildea revisits the trials and tribulations of the strike, based on his research interviewing more than 140 former miners and their families and supporters.

Robert Gildea is the author of Backbone of a Nation: Mining Communities and the Great Strike of 1984-85 (Yale, 2023)