Strike!

An exciting history of American labor. — The New York Times Book Review New and Recommended List Splendid. Clearly the best single-volume summary yet published of American general strikes. — Washington Post A magnificent book. I hope it will take its place as the standard history of American labor. — Staughton Lynd, labor historian. Since its original publication in 1972, no book has done as much as Jeremy Brecher’s Strike! to bring American labor history to a wide audience. Strike! describes what is left out of ordinary history books: the dramatic story of repeated, massive, and often violent revolts by ordinary working people in America. The story includes nearly nation-wide general strikes, the seizure of vast industrial establishments, non-violent direct action on a massive scale, and armed battles with artillery and aircraft. Strike! tells this exciting hidden history from the point of view of the rank-and-file workers who lived it. For this special anniversary edition, Jeremy Brecher brings the story up to date. A new Introduction places the problems faced by working people today in the context of 120 years of labor history. A new chapter introduces the little-known labor dimension of the Vietnam-era revolt. And a new concluding chapter interprets the rank-and-file labor struggles of the past 25 years, in a unique first draft of the labor history of our era. This updated edition of Strike! will be essential for any course that touches on either the history or present situation of American workers. I t will be an inspiration for all those working to revive the labor movement today.