Turning Points of History

March 6th, 1984, marked the beginning of what was to become one of the most bitter and expensive industrial disputes in British history. The government, as represented by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher versus the National Union of Mineworkers, lead by Arthur Scargill. The strike would last almost a full year - a year of violence, media distortion and subterfuge courtesy of MI5 - Britain's spy agency. In the end, the financial and emotional strain on strikers and their families proved to be too much to bear. The miners returned to work having achieved nothing. It was a complete victory for Thatcher. She had crushed the most powerful trade union in the country.