Copperbelt strike of 1935

The Copperbelt strike in May 1935 was a great strike action which was performed by African mineworkers in the Copperbelt (then in Northern Rhodesia, today called Zambia) to protest against unfair taxes imposed by the British colonial authorities. The strike involved three of the four great copper mines of the province, namely those of Mufulira, Nkana and Roan Antelope. Near the latter mine the strike ended in tragedy, where six protesters were killed by the police. After this the mineworkers decided to recall the strike, even if they had failed to obtain what they had protested for. Nevertheless, this action remains important as the first organized industrial agitation in Northern Rhodesia and is viewed by some as the first overt action against the colonial rule.


Stub icon This Zambia-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Stub icon This article related to a strike action or other labor dispute is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.



Related topics in the Connexions Subject Index

Alternatives  –  Left History  –  Libraries & Archives  –  Social Change  – 


This article is based on one or more articles in Wikipedia, with modifications and additional content contributed by Connexions editors. This article, and any information from Wikipedia, is covered by a Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Unported License (CC-BY-SA) and the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL).

We welcome your help in improving and expanding the content of Connexipedia articles, and in correcting errors. Connexipedia is not a wiki: please contact Connexions by email if you wish to contribute. We are also looking for contributors interested in writing articles on topics, persons, events and organizations related to social justice and the history of social change movements.

For more information contact Connexions