Haymarket Originals: Fragile Juggernaut
Haymarket Originals is a new home for audio deep dives, by and for the left—brought to you by Haymarket Books.
The first Haymarket Originals project is FRAGILE JUGGERNAUT: WHAT WAS THE CIO?
Through a limited run of twenty episodes, a group of labor historians and organizers will revisit the near-mythical history of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO)—and the high water mark of US labor activity in the 1930s and 1940s—in the context of today’s critical juncture in the labor movement.
Join Tim Barker, Andrew Elrod, Ben Mabie, Alex Press, Emma Teitelman, Gabriel Winant, and special guests as they explore the trajectory of the American working class through a period of its greatest drama and political possibility.
Latest episodes
Feb 21, 2024 • 1h 35min
3. The Lean Years
The podcast explores the impact of World War I on labor movements, the tumultuous 1919 coal strike, and the evolving relationship between organized labor and the Democratic Party. It delves into historical events like the Seattle general strike and the role of worker schools in shaping future social movements. The chapter also discusses the strategies of Communists in the labor movement and the symbolism of music in industrial unionism.
6 snips
Feb 7, 2024 • 1h 30min
2. Socialism in its Work Clothes
The podcast explores the labor movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, focusing on workers' opposition in the face of economic shifts. It delves into the rise of the American Federation of Labor, the Garment Trades' organization, and the impact of the needle trades industry on immigrant radicalism. The narrative also covers the rise of key labor movement figures like Eugene Debs and the Knights of Labor's initiation ceremonies.
5 snips
Jan 23, 2024 • 1h 27min
1. Why the American Working Class Is Different
Delve into the origins of the American working class, from immigrants to enslaved workers, leading to the Civil War and the rise of industrial corporations like railroads. Explore the national uprising of workers in 1877 and the emergence of the labor movement. Engaging insights into Class Struggle Unionism, the impact of the CIO on American labor history, and the transformation of the working class through economic cycles.
