Countering Social Movement Organizations: The UK Brewers’ Society response to the Temperance movement in the 1920s

Description

Abstract: In the early 1920s there were attempts to shut down the UK’s public houses (pubs) by stealth. This coincided with developments in the US, where national Prohibition was enacted on 16 January 1920. The presence of US elite interests and the Anti-Saloon League on UK soil triggered a concerted and aggressive fight-back from the UK brewing industry under its trade association, the Brewers’ Society and dedicated campaigning force, the National Trade Defence Association. On the one hand, UK temperance interests could call on the advocacy of well-connected Parliamentarians Lord and Lady Astor. On the other hand, the brewing trade had its own elite supporters in Parliament, allies in the Military, but also the private army of the working class, now enfranchised through the Representation of the People Act 1918. Our case study utilises archive data and a unique collection of leaflets and posters to illustrate the tactics the trade used to counter the sophisticated narrative of a well-funded and motivated social movement organization embedded in high-level political networks in several domains. We extend the literature of social movement organizations by focusing on countermovement activity, specifically the interplay between private and public politics and the role of innovative communications strategies.

Period	1 Jul 2025 → 31 Jul 2026
Event title	BCU Internal Business School Conference
Event type	Conference
Location	Birmingham, United KingdomShow on map