The Women of Red Clydeside: Women Munitions Workers in the West of Scotland During the First World War

TitleThe Women of Red Clydeside: Women Munitions Workers in the West of Scotland During the First World War
Publication TypeThesis
Year of Publication2002
AuthorsBaillie, Myra
Academic DepartmentSchool of Graduate Studies
DegreePhD
Number of Pages320
Date Published2002/09
UniversityMcMaster University
CityOntario, Canada
Abstract

During World War One, the Clydeside region became one of the most important centers of war production in Britain. It also had one of the most volatile male workforces, earning it the reputation 'Red' Clydeside. Previous historical accounts have focused on the skilled workers, debating the extent to which they were red-hot revolutionaries or narrow craft conservatives. To date, there has been no study of the region's large, capable, hard-working female workforce. This thesis traces the experience of the tens of thousands of women employed in the Clydeside munitions industry, paying particular attention to the working conditions in local factories. This thesis contributes to the long-standing historiographical arguments over the nature of Red Clydeside by offering a new view of the dilution crisis which stands at the epicenter of the debate. In addition, the significant presence of middle class women in positions of authority within the factories generated class hostility, turning munitions factories into breeding grounds of class tension. This study offers a further contribution to the historical knowledge of women workers in the First World War by conducting a searching investigation into the oppressive working conditions in munitions factories and their impact on the health of the female workforce. [author]

URLhttp://hdl.handle.net/11375/6174
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181809876

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