National Hunger March, 1932 facts for kids

The National Hunger March of September–October 1932 was the biggest of several hunger marches that happened in Britain during the 1920s and 1930s. These marches were organized by people who were unemployed and struggling during a very difficult economic time.

Why the March Happened

Before 1932, other hunger marches had taken place in London, like in 1922–23, 1929, and 1930. Miners from South Wales also marched in 1927.

During the Great Depression, many people in Britain lost their jobs. This led to widespread unemployment and a lot of tension across the country in 1932. There were many protests, and sometimes there were clashes between police and unemployed people demonstrating in cities like Merseyside, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, and Belfast. Many of these protests were organized by the National Unemployed Workers' Movement (NUWM), a group led by communists.

The 1932 March

In 1932, about 2,750,000 people were unemployed. The National Unemployed Workers' Movement (NUWM) organized the "Great National Hunger March against the Means Test." About 3,000 people joined the march. They came from 18 different groups, mostly from areas hit hard by the economic problems, like the South Wales Valleys, Scotland, and the North of England.

The marchers planned to meet up in Hyde Park in London. Their goal was to present a petition to Parliament. This petition had a million signatures and asked the government to get rid of the means test and the 1931 Anomalies Act. The "means test" was a check to see if people were poor enough to receive government help. The "Anomalies Act" made it harder for some people to get this help.

Journey to London

The first group of marchers left Glasgow on September 26. They traveled for weeks, often facing difficult conditions. When they finally arrived at Hyde Park on October 27, 1932, a huge crowd of about 100,000 people greeted them.

On their way to London, the marchers didn't get much attention from the news. But once they reached the capital, many newspapers and officials saw them as a threat to public order.

Police Response and Clashes

The government, led by Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald, tried to stop the petition from reaching Parliament. Police took the petition away from the marchers.

Fearing disorder, the police prepared a very large force. Lord Trenchard, who was in charge of the Metropolitan Police, gathered about 70,000 police officers. This was one of the biggest police deployments in Britain in many years.

There were clashes between police and marchers in and around Hyde Park. Police on horses were used to break up the crowds. In the days that followed, there were more incidents across central London, and some people were injured. The government was asked questions in the House of Commons about these events.

What Happened Next

The 1932 march led directly to the creation of the National Council for Civil Liberties. Its founder, Ronald Kidd, started the group because he was worried about how the police handled the marches. He was concerned that police might have used agent provocateurs (people who secretly try to cause trouble) to make the situation worse.

The hunger marchers also inspired many people. For example, Bill Alexander joined the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) after seeing the marchers. He later became a commander in the British Battalion during the Spanish Civil War. Another activist, Thora Silverthorne, helped the marchers by bandaging their feet as they passed through Oxford.

The 1932 march was followed by other hunger marches, including one in 1934 and the famous 1936 Jarrow March.