Rent Strike poster issued by the Glasgow Labour Party Housing Association, 1915.
The influx of men and women to Glasgow at the beginning of the First World War, to work in engineering, shipbuilding and the production of munitions, created a shortage of accommodation in the city's industrial areas. Rents soared and a rent strike was organised in Govan in 1915, which spread quickly to Partick and other overcrowded neighbourhoods. The strike was notable for the prominent role played by women in organising and participating in the resistance to rent increases and to the eviction of those who refused to pay increased rents.
This poster comes with instructions that it should be tacked to the lower sash of a window.
Reference: 670.95.126
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Museums
Keywords:
First World War, Glasgow Labour Party Housing Association, Glasgow Rent Strike, Independent Labour Party, political activists, posters