As the working class flexes its muscles on the industrial front today, many have drawn comparisons with the class struggle of the 1970s.
After a period of relative class peace following the Second World War, the 1970s saw a rebirth of the labour movement.
Workers demonstrated the power that they possessed: whether by toppling the Conservative Heath government, or occupying factories and running production themselves.
In these struggles, the working class butted up against the limits of capitalism, and posed the question of socialism.
Ultimately, however, the workers lacked a Marxist leadership to point the way forward. This period therefore ended in defeat, with the smashing of the labour movement by the Thatcher government.
In this episode of Marxist Voice, Ben Gliniecki draws the lessons from the successes and failures of this decade of struggle.
