The Wobblies - by Patrick Renshaw (Paperback)

About the Book

In this new edition of his classic study of the Industrial Workers of the World, Mr. Renshaw tells the story of how they planned to combine the American working class, and eventually wage earners all over the world, into one big labor union with an industrial basis, a syndicalist philosophy, and a revolutionary aim. "A sensible and penetrating examination....Topical even today."--Robert Kirsch, Los Angeles Times.

Book Synopsis

Does anyone save historians remember the Wobblies? This nickname for the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), the revolutionary labor union founded in Chicago in 1905, not so long ago was part of the vocabulary of labor and socialist movements everywhere. But few who have heard of the Wobblies know much about their history, aims, or achievements--or their impact on American labor. In this new edition of his classic study of the Wobblies, Patrick Renshaw tells the story of how they planned to combine the American working class, and eventually wage earners all over the world, into one big labor union with an industrial basis, a syndicalist philosophy, and a revolutionary aim. "A careful, balanced work."--New York Times Book Review. "A lively introduction to a trying and violent period in American industrial history."--Journal of American History. "The story of American trade unionism is a sorry one--dirty and tragic--and this is one of the worst chapters."--Times Literary Supplement.

Review Quotes

A careful, balanced work.-- "The New York Times"

A lively introduction to a trying and violent period in American industrial history.-- "Journal of American History"

Eminently readable.-- "The Boston Globe"

The story of American trade unionism is a sorry one--dirty and tragic--and this is one of the worst chapters.-- "Times Literary Supplement"

Topical even today.-- "Los Angeles Times"

About the Author

Patrick Renshaw, a fellow of the Royal Historical Society, lives in Sheffield, England.