Housing, class and politics: Ashington 1896-1939

Abstract

This thesis focusses upon class relations in a mining town in North East England with particular emphasis upon housing as an example of these relations. Distinct class opposition is identified and coal company policy is related to attempts to circumscribe working class militancy by concrete and ideological measures. It is asserted that the extent of class conflict in Ashington has been greatly underestimated by previous students of the area because of restricting the area of study to the industrial arena. An examination of all aspects of class relation, reveals extensive class opposition to the coal owners. The importance of ideology in the class conflict is emphasised and coal company policy is identified as increasingly concerned , with fractioning working class unity by assertion of dominant ideological ideas.