1930s
Flint 1936-7: Diary of a Sitdowner
The diary of one of the striking General Motors workers who occupied their factories between December 1936 and February 1937.
General Motors' sit-in strikers' thoughts inside Fisher Body #2 – Flint, Mi
Written by Francis O'Rourke
December 30, 1936 – 6:45 a.m.
The battle for the Green - John Taylor Caldwell
The late veteran Glasgow anarchist JT Caldwell tells the story of a struggle to defend the right of open air speaking on Glasgow Green during the early 1930s. As well as legal conflicts, the events included rowdy mass demonstrations of up to one hundred thousand people.
Source; Workers City; ed. Farquhar McLay, Clydeside Press, Glasgow 1988.
THE SUMMER OF 1931 was a riotous season in Glasgow. There were demonstrations involving anything from forty-five thousand to one hundred thousand angry protesters, in scenes which Police Superintendent Sweeny of the Central Division described as "a disgrace to any civilised community". The focal point of these demonstrations was Glasgow Green.
Jose Yglesias remembers the solidarity of the cigar makers and their lectors - Studs Terkel
A personal account, as told to the late Studs Terkel, of the cigar workers community in early 20th century Tampa, Florida - its strong traditions of solidarity and self-education; and the role of the 'lectors' or workplace readers.
Source; Hard Times - An Oral History of the Great Depression; Studs Terkel, Pantheon Books, NY, 1970.
Wobbly Fred Thompson on the 30s Depression - Studs Terkel
The late Wobbly veteran, in conversation with the late Studs Terkel, looks back on his experience in the class struggle.
Source; Hard Times - An Oral History of the Great Depression; Studs Terkel, Pantheon Books, NY, 1970.
Spanish Civil War - further reading guide
Libcom's guide to further reading around the Spanish civil war and revolution of 1936-1939.
- Homage to Catalonia - Orwell*
- The Civil War in Spain - Broue/Themin
- Wrong Steps: Errors in the Spanish Revolution - Juan Garcia Oliver
- The Friends of Durruti Group, 1937-9 – A. Guillamon
- We, the Anarchists: A Study of the Iberian Anarchist Federation (FAI) 1927-1937 - Stuart Christie
Labour Rebellions of the 1930s in the British Caribbean Region Colonies - Richard Hart
A brief overview of the numerous struggles which occurred in the British Caribbean during the 1930s, which led to the introduction of many trade union rights across the region, written by Jamaican trade unionist Richard Hart.
Published in 2002 jointly by Caribbean Labour Solidarity and the Socialist History Society.
About the author
1934: The Asturias Revolt
An account of the 1934 uprising by Asturian miners in Spain. Beginning as part of a nationwide general strike, the revolt grew into one of the most widespread rebellions of the pre-revolution era.
The 1933 elections in Spain had seen a massive victory delivered to the right, represented by the Confederación Española de Derechas Autónomas (CEDA), a coalition of largely Catholic conservative groups and Monarchists. Led by José María Gil-Robles, the CEDA soon allied itself with the close runner up of the elections, the Radical Republican Party, led by Alejandro Lerroux.
1935: Battle of Ballantyne Pier
A short history and background of the 1935 dockers' strike and subsequent bloody confrontation with police in Vancouver that became known as the Battle of Ballantyne Pier.
The story of the Battle of Ballantyne Pier can be traced back to 1912 when the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), began organising amongst waterfront workers in Canada, and alongside the Lumber Handlers’ Union in Vancouver.
Self management and the Spanish revolution - Point Blank
An article by Situationist journal Point Blank on the militias and workers' councils during the Spanish Revolution.
Self-Management and the Spanish Revolution
1936 ~ 37
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