UK miners strike

First, I will introduce you to what the Miner Strike was. The Miner Strike happened in 1984 and lasted for one year, and it was a major industrial action affecting the British coal industry. Basically, it was a battle between Margaret Thatcher's economic policies and the organised working class. The entire year showed violence between striking miners and militarised police force attempting to maintain coal production at some level and aid strike-breakers. 

The strike was undertaken by the National Union of Mineworkers, led by Arthur Scargill. The National Union of Mineworkers was established in 1888. Arthur Scargill was, according to Wikipedia, a Yorkshire miner, militant, trades unionist and and a socialist, and he had strong leanings towards communism. He stated that Margaret Thatcher wanted to destroy the coal industry and the NUM. This lead to the most bitter industrial dispute in British history, according to BBC. 

The strike ended on 3rd of march 1985, and it was a defining moment in British industrial relations. The strike definitely weakened the British Trade Union, and the strike became a symbolic struggle, as the NUM was one of the strongest unions in the country. The strike ended with the miners defeat and the Thatcher goverment was able to consolidate its fiscally conservative programme. The strike led to three deaths during the year.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_miners%27_strike_%281984%E2%80%9385%29

http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/keith-pattison-photographs-the-miners-strike-342