Trades Union Congress headquarters, London 1926
Courtesy of TUC Library Collections, London Metropolitan University
There was widespread popular support in Britain for the Russian Revolution of 1917. After the carnage of the Great War many saw in the revolution the possibility of a better world. A ‘Hands Off Russia’ campaign had been in existence for some time, campaigning against the threat of war against Soviet Russia, and against the use of British troops and armaments in support of counter revolutionary forces. East London dockers in London refused to load a munitions ship, the ‘Jolly George’, destined for Russia in 1918.
In August 1920, Councils of Action were formed, based largely on local trades councils. Eventually over 350 were established in all parts of the country. They were supported by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Labour Party. Their purpose was to prepare to call mass strikes if the threat of war against Soviet Russia should become reality.
References/Further Reading:
M. Davis, TUC History Online Timeline, 1918-1939.