1926 : Revolution in China and General Strike in England - Two useful lessons for 2026

1926 : Revolution in China and General Strike in England - Two useful lessons for 2026

The Chinese Revolution

In China, from 1925 onwards, the revolutionary movement resumed. In Shanghai, cotton mill workers went on strike. On May 15, a Japanese foreman shot and killed worker Gu Zheng-hong, wounding others. The workers, joined by students, demonstrated in a crowd of over 10,000 in front of a police station in the concession (territories annexed by the imperialist powers), chanting "Down with imperialism !" On May 30, a British officer panicked and killed 13 of them ; this became known as the "Massacre of May 30."

"It was the afternoon of May 30th. The effect was swift and violent. Shanghai, the great foreign stronghold with its Western banks and factories, its concessions, was paralyzed by the general strike. Even the servants abandoned the homes of the foreigners. These foreigners, accustomed for decades to viewing the Chinese as dirty but necessary animals, were terrified to see this shapeless mass rise up and slap them across the face. The effect was not limited to Shanghai ; 135 strikes triggered by the shooting on May 30th involved 400,000 workers from Hong Kong and Canton to Beijing. On June 23rd, students, workers, and officer cadets marched through the streets of Canton. French and British machine guns opened fire, and 52 students were killed. A general strike and a boycott of British goods were immediately declared. Hong Kong, Great Britain’s fortress in China, was completely paralyzed."

H. Isaacs, historian

A general strike, triggered by political and economic issues, and the question of imperialism. This May 30th movement provides a historical example of the boycott, popularized by the September 10th Movement (with solidarity and civil disobedience). This anti-imperialist movement involved various social classes, from students and military personnel to a segment of the Chinese bourgeoisie.

This is what is called the beginning of a revolution, and it has very little to do with a general strike for wages : it is the question of the power of the exploited that is being raised.

British machine guns opened fire ; what were British workers’ organizations doing at the same time ? 1926 was the year of the biggest strike in England. These two seeds were therefore those of world revolution, one in an imperialist country, the other in a country dominated by imperialisms, a semi-colony.

The general strike in England

Leon Trotsky described the 1926 strike in England as analogous to future strikes that one might expect to see today in Europe :

"England is shaken by a formidable strike. The Conservative government is pursuing a policy of relentless offensive. It is doing everything to provoke civil war. Never has the contradiction between the factors of social forces and the lie of outdated parliamentarism manifested itself in England as clearly as it does today."

The English strike arises from the contradiction between the current situation of the British economy on the world market and the traditional relations of production and class within the country. Formally, the question is posed as follows : a reduction in miners’ wages, an extension of their working day, and the transfer onto the shoulders of the working class of some of the sacrifices necessary for a genuine reorganization of the coal industry. Thus formulated, this question is insoluble. It is perfectly true that, without sacrifices, and even without serious sacrifices, on the part of the English proletariat, the coal industry, like the entire British economy in general, cannot be reorganized. But only a complete fool could believe that the English proletariat is prepared to make these sacrifices on the old basis of capitalist property. (...) The general strike is the most violent form of class struggle. Following it immediately comes armed insurrection. This is precisely why the general strike, more than any other form of class struggle, demands a clear, resolute, and energetic leadership—in other words, a revolutionary leadership. But the British proletariat shows no trace of such leadership in the present strike, and it cannot be expected to suddenly appear, ready-made, as if sprung from the ground. The General Council of Trade Unions began with its ridiculous declaration that the general strike did not constitute a political struggle and therefore did not signify an attack on the state power of the bankers, industrialists, and landowners, nor on the Holy British Parliament. But this declaration of war by the loyal subjects does not appear at all convincing to the government, which feels that the real instruments of force are slipping from its grasp under the effect of the strike.

The General Council of Trade Unions mentioned by Trotsky has its equivalent today in the leadership of the CGT and Sud-Soldiers in France. In short, a general strike is absolutely insufficient ; without revolutionary leadership, it becomes a defeat that demoralizes a generation.

The claim that the "revolutionaries" whose only criticism of our union leadership is that it doesn’t call for a general strike is therefore fallacious. These leaderships are perfectly capable of doing so, using it as a method of demoralization. Trotsky continued :

“It is currently impossible to predict the duration of the struggle, its development, and, even more so, its outcome. Everything must be done, within the international framework, to support the combatants and facilitate the conditions for their victory. But it must be clearly understood that this victory is only possible to the extent that the British working class, in the course of the development and strengthening of the general strike, succeeds in changing its leaders. An American proverb aptly states that one should not change horses when crossing a torrent. But this practical wisdom is only true to a certain extent ; no one has ever succeeded in crossing a revolutionary torrent on the horse of reformism. And the class that went into battle under opportunist leadership was forced to change it under the fire of the enemy. This determines in advance the attitude of the truly revolutionary elements of the British proletariat, and above all, of the communists.” They will support by all means the unity of mass action, but they will allow no appearance of unity with the opportunist leaders of the Labour Party and the trade unions. The implacable struggle against any act or attempt at treason, and the merciless critique of reformist illusions, constitute the most important part of the work of the truly revolutionary elements participating in the general strike. By this means, they will contribute not only to the indispensable work of training the new revolutionary cadres without whom any victory of the British proletariat is impossible, but also to the success of the present strike, by deepening it, bringing out its revolutionary character, eliminating the opportunists, and strengthening the position of the revolutionary elements. The results of the strike, both immediate and long-term, will be all the more considerable the more energetically the revolutionary will of the masses removes the barriers and obstacles erected by the counter-revolutionary leadership.

Counter-revolutionary leadership , agents of the bourgeoisie within the workers’ movement—this is what the propaganda of genuine revolutionaries must now popularize as terms to describe union leaders like Sophie Binet. The opportunistic far left (LO, NPAs, RP) has abandoned these labels, as well as that of " opportunists ," contenting itself with the technical terms "union bureaucracies" and "union leadership."

As expected, the union leaders betrayed the strike, which Trotsky assessed as follows :

“The revolutionary workers were disoriented, fell into apathy, and transferred their disappointment onto the Communist Party itself, even though the party had only been a passive element in this mechanism of betrayal. The minority movement almost completely disappeared : the Communist Party reverted to the state of a powerless sect. Thus, as a result of a false conception of the party, the greatest movement of the English proletariat, which triggered the general strike, not only failed to shake the apparatus of the reactionary bureaucracy, but on the contrary strengthened it and compromised communism in Great Britain for a long time.”

“My Life”, Trotsky

Yet it was not inevitable ; it was the Stalinist leadership of the USSR, opposed by Trotsky, that led the British working class to defeat, by not allowing the PC to do the real work of a PC, leaving the direction of the strike to the union leadership.

The American group WSWS describes the strike as follows :

"The general strike began on May 3, 1926, in response to a massive attack on the wages of Britain’s 1.2 million coal miners, amidst widespread social unrest. The Trades Union Congress (TUC), terrified by its revolutionary potential, tried to end it and succeeded, on May 12, after only nine days, in inflicting a crushing defeat. (...)
’Action Councils’ were formed, recognized by the Directorate of Intelligence as ’increasingly resembling soviets and, in some areas, drawing up plans to seize private property and means of transport.’ The East Fife Action Council [in Scotland] created its own 700-member workers’ defense militia. Reports of mutinies by the Welsh Guards and other regiments refusing to attack the miners triggered mass arrests." Of the 2,500 people arrested, 1,000 were members of the CPGB ; these also constituted a large proportion of the 1,000 people subsequently imprisoned.

The preceding years had seen the rise of what could be a direction of the revolution :

"The most significant political expression of this sustained leftward shift was the growth of the Communist Party of Great Britain’s (CPGB) influence within the trade unions. With only 4,000 members in 1923, the CPGB played a decisive role in the formation of the National Minority Movement (NMM), which eventually boasted over a million members, a quarter of the total trade union membership, and spearheaded the campaign to elect A.J. Cook as General Secretary of the Mineworkers’ Union in 1924."

Stalin’s USSR pursued its policy of total support for trade union leadership through the Anglo-Russian Committee :

"It was created at a joint conference of Soviet and British trade unions in London, from 6 to 8 April 1925, with the stated objective of restoring the unity of the international trade union movement, ensuring mutual aid and support, opposing the war and promoting friendly relations between Great Britain and the USSR.

However, as Trotsky explains in Problems of the British Revolution, rather than viewing the committee as "an episodic bloc" to be broken "at the first serious test in order to compromise the General Council [TUC]", Stalin, Bukharin, Tomsky and Zinoviev saw it as : "an instrument for the systematic revolutionization of the English working masses, and if not the entry, at least an approach to the entry through which the revolution of the English proletariat would advance by leaps and bounds".

WSWS

But this policy of complete submission to union leadership is precisely that of the far left (LO, NPA-A and R, RP) in France today. The following lesson Trotsky drew from this therefore remains valid :

"The precondition for any agreement with the ’left’ was that the Communist Party preserve its ’complete independence, even within the trade unions, act in its own name on all matters of principle, criticize its ’left’ allies whenever necessary, and thus gain the trust of the masses, step by step.’"

Stalin and his associates, on the contrary, believed that in order to attract the "broad left-wing current" towards the Communist International, it was essential to avoid all criticism at all costs. Consequently, the British Communist Party practically disappeared as a visible political force, to be almost entirely replaced in the eyes of the workers by the minority National Movement, a purely syndicalist organization.

Trotsky, "My Life"

But, LO and the NPA-R, the most hypocritical of opportunists, will retort : ​​we constantly proclaim the necessity of our organizations’ independence, displaying it in every political election, from the last legislative elections to the upcoming municipal ones. Our meager results, close to 0%, are "proof" that we are not complicit with the union leadership.

But besides the party, trade unions and soviets are the two other forms of organization where a policy independent of the working class is necessary. It is within these two types of structure that a policy of a united workers’ front is exercised, a fundamental tactic by which revolutionaries do not co-opt reformists, but rather expose them. The opportunistic far left in France does not build communist cells within the trade unions and stifles the creation of genuine soviets.

Conclusion

The first significant event of 2026 is the exfiltration by D. Trump of Venezuelan President N. Maduros. This act of piracy is certainly a reprehensible act of American imperialism, but what can be done ? How are the lessons of 1926 relevant ? Let’s read the CGT’s perspective :

"The CGT condemns the US aggression against Venezuela
Published on Jan 3, 2026
The US army has just carried out bombings in Venezuela and Trump claims responsibility for the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro.

The CGT condemns this military aggression against a sovereign state, an operation aimed at imposing regime change in order to seize control of oil resources. This imperialist aggression and the kidnapping of a head of state set a dangerous precedent.

France and the international community through the UN must react without delay to this scandalous aggression which aggravates an already tense international situation.

The CGT reaffirms its commitment to democracy, the right of peoples to self-determination, peace, and international regulation. It affirms its solidarity with the Venezuelan people.

Montreuil, January 3, 2026

Sophie Binet, a good agent of the bourgeoisie within the labor movement, addresses herself not to the workers, not to the international trade union organization to which she belongs, but to the representatives of French imperialism sitting at the UN. No foreign policy from the trade unions ! The left wing of the unions, the opportunistic far left, claims to distinguish itself from these "bureaucracies" through action . But LO manages unions, and can do nothing but repeat, on the same day, changing only a few commas, the CGT’s press release :

"Down with imperialism in Venezuela !"
Published on 03/01/2026

After months of threats, piracy against ships that have already caused dozens of deaths, and the seizure of oil tankers, the United States finally struck Venezuela directly. Trump boasts that American troops have captured Maduro, the Venezuelan president.

For a long time, American imperialism has sought to subjugate one of the few Latin American countries that refuses to fall in line, and to seize its vast oil reserves.
Down with imperialism and its trail of plunder, war, and subjugation !

Internally, activists will be convinced they have "outmaneuvered" the CGT by using the term "imperialist." Instead of issuing a statement signed by its municipal candidates (including Venezuelans), supported by a joint press conference, denouncing the imperialists Trump and Macron, LO, which claims to run "revolutionary" electoral campaigns, settles for a message that will go unnoticed. General Mandon had invited war into the municipal elections ; LO is afraid to invite itself into that conflict, even as the whole world comments on this event.

The NPA-R, for its part, is calling for action, but it is unclear when and where, implicitly referring to future demonstrations called for by the union leadership.

"The NPA-Revolutionaries calls for all protest demonstrations that will take place to oppose this new imperialist aggression.

Down with imperialist aggression against Venezuela ! Down with imperialism !

Press release from the NPA-Revolutionaries, January 3, 2026

Why are these two organizations incapable of any action ? Because their spokespeople are submissive union bureaucrats, choosing to submit, to the social-chauvinist discipline that has dominated the unions since 1914.

Nearly three months ago, French imperialism committed the exact same type of act of piracy : Malagasy President Andry Rajoelina was exfiltrated by a French military plane on October 12, 2025 ! The trade unions and political organizations that did nothing to prevent or at least denounce this act have already lost all credibility in their denunciation of D. Trump.

The May 30th Movement, which ushered in the 1925-27 revolution in China, began with anti-imperialist demonstrations : labor unions and student organizations staged protests in front of sites embodying imperialism. Agitation, propaganda, and action all played their part, as in any self-respecting movement. In France, unions remain silent on foreign policy. In Paris, however, the US embassy could offer an objective perspective. Given its proximity to the Élysée Palace, such demonstrations could quickly transform into protests against both imperialisms : French and American. In the French West Indies, the Workers’ Struggle (LO) branch leads a regional branch of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) ; it could promote anti-imperialist slogans from the Caribbean peoples, at a time when Trump is threatening Cuba.

Maduro is merely the representative of a bourgeois army, similar to that of Jiang Jie-shi, who, under an anti-imperialist, "revolutionary" guise in 1925, was the butcher of the Chinese proletariat in April 1927. Only the proletariat, with its party and its soviets, can wage a real struggle against imperialist plunder. Whether in 1926 in China or in 2026 anywhere, this lesson remains valid. Trump’s actions are undoubtedly primarily aimed at Chinese imperialism, with the goal of cutting it off from Venezuela’s oil resources. It was this vital need for raw materials that led Japan to invade China in 1931, triggering World War II.

These lessons from China in 1926 are vital for the proletariats of Latin America and Europe !