The tensions which led to the general strike were exacerbated locally by the policies of the Brighton Corporation and the fears of members of the Middle Class Union.
Their concerns, however, were misplaced: local socialists and unemployed people were not revolutionaries, and when the strike began on 4 May only 6000 workers, a small proportion of the town's workforce, came out.
Of these, transport workers were seen to represent the greatest threat, and succeeded in stopping service on the town's external rail links and internal tramway.
[1][2] The police were supported by special constables known as "Black and Tans",[1] who included "farmers, sportsmen, hunting men, and retired cavalry officers".
[2] The local authority saw the "Battle of Lewes Road" as having served to crush revolutionary politics in Brighton, while for working-class activists it was celebrated as a day of heroism and martyrdom.