History is not made by kings, politicians, or a few rich
individuals--it is made by all of us. From the temples of ancient
Egypt to spacecraft orbiting Earth, workers and ordinary people
everywhere have walked out, sat down, risen up, and fought back
against exploitation, discrimination, colonization, and oppression.
Working Class
History presents a distinct selection of people's history through
hundreds of "on this day in history" anniversaries that are
as diverse and international as the working class itself. Women,
young people, people of color, workers, migrants, Indigenous people,
LGBT+ people, disabled people, older people, the unemployed, home
workers, and every other part of the working class have organized and
taken action that has shaped our world, and improvements in living
and working conditions have been won only by years of violent
conflict and sacrifice. These everyday acts of resistance and
rebellion highlight just some of those who have struggled for a
better world and provide lessons and inspiration for those of us
fighting in the present. Going day by day, this book paints a picture
of how and why the world came to be as it is, how some have tried to
change it, and the lengths to which the rich and powerful have gone
to maintain and increase their wealth and influence.
This handbook of
grassroots movements, curated by the popular Working Class History
project, features many hidden histories and untold stories,
reinforced with inspiring images, further reading, and a foreword
from legendary author and dissident Noam Chomsky.