Working Class History

Final part of our three-part podcast series about the organising campaign by the Industrial Workers of the World union at Starbucks in the 2000s, in conversation with Daniel Gross, one of the key organisers. This part covers international solidarity, Starbucks union-busting strategies, the decline of the union, and lessons for today. Our podcast is brought to you by  our Patreon supporters . Our s...

Part 2 of our three-part podcast series about the organising campaign by the Industrial Workers of the World union at Starbucks in the 2000s, in conversation with Daniel Gross, one of the key organisers. This part covers solidarity unionism and direct action on the job, tactics, and gains won by the workers.  Our podcast is brought to you by  our Patreon supporters . Our supporters fund our work,...

Before the current wave of organising at Starbucks, another group of workers in the early 2000s got together and formed a union at one of the most anti-union corporations on earth. They won better pay and conditions, and laid the groundwork for the unionisation campaign today. Learn their story in this three-part podcast series in conversation with Daniel Gross, one of the key organisers. Our podc...

Fireside Chat  podcast available exclusively for  our Patreon supporters we invited back Tomas Rothaus (from our Argentina 2001 episodes ) to discuss football, politics, and the chaotic mess of the World Cup in Donald Trump's USA. Our podcast is brought to you by our Patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclusive early access to podcast episodes, ad-free episodes, bo...

Bonus episode for our three-part miniseries about the UK’s 1926 general strike, in collaboration with the General Strike 100 project and told using interviews with striking workers themselves. In this episode, East London dock worker, Harry Watson, talks about life and work on the docks around the time of the general strike as well as the split of skilled dock workers away from the Trades Union Co...

The final of our three-part miniseries about the UK’s 1926 general strike, which saw one and three-quarter million workers walk out in the biggest single work stoppage in British history. In collaboration with the General Strike 100 project and told using interviews with striking workers themselves. In this episode, we look at state repression against the strike, the capitulation of union leaders,...

Part 2 of our three-part miniseries about the UK’s 1926 general strike, which saw one and three-quarter million workers walk out in the biggest single work stoppage in British history. In collaboration with the General Strike 100 project and told using interviews with striking workers themselves. In this episode, we go into the action of the strike itself, the self-activity of the 'Councils of Act...

First of our three-part miniseries about the UK’s 1926 general strike, which saw one and three-quarter million workers walk out in the biggest single work stoppage in British history. In collaboration with the General Strike 100 project and told using interviews with striking workers themselves. Our podcast is brought to you by our Patreon supporters . Our supporters fund our work, and in return g...

Preview extract of our bonus episode about state and political violence in Argentina (and beyond). Part of our miniseries on the 2001 Argentina uprising, which toppled the government, and saw the spread of neighbourhood assemblies and factories taken over by workers. In conversation with Tomas Rothaus, a participant in the uprising and author of Argentina, a Tale of Two Utopias . Our podcast is br...

Fireside Chat  podcast available exclusively for  our Patreon supporters where we make fun of Trump’s absurd text to the Norwegian Prime Minister, and what it means for the rest of the world that the US President is a half-witted narcissist. Our podcast is brought to you by our Patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclusive early access to podcast episodes, ad-free e...

Part 2 of a double episode about the 2001 uprising in Argentina, which toppled the government, and saw the spread of neighbourhood assemblies and factories taken over by workers. In conversation with Tomas Rothaus, a participant in the uprising and author of Argentina, a Tale of Two Utopias: Anarchism, Soccer, Neoliberalism . Our podcast is brought to you by our Patreon supporters . Our supporters...

Preview extract of our bonus episode about the history and politics of football culture in Argentina. Part of our miniseries on the 2001 Argentina uprising, which toppled the government, and saw the spread of neighbourhood assemblies and factories taken over by workers. In conversation with Tomas Rothaus, a participant in the uprising and author of Argentina, a Tale of Two Utopias . Our podcast is...

Part 1 of a double episode about the 2001 uprising in Argentina, which toppled the government, and saw the spread of neighbourhood assemblies and factories taken over by workers. In conversation with Tomas Rothaus, a participant in the uprising and author of Argentina, a Tale of Two Utopias: Anarchism, Soccer, Neoliberalism . Our podcast is brought to you by our Patreon supporters . Our supporters...

Teaser extract of our latest Fireside Chat  podcast available exclusively for  our Patreon supporters  in which we sit down for a bit of a chat about the year past, for WCH and the world, and plans we have for the year ahead. We discuss a year of the podcast, sick leave, full kit wankers, the rise of the far right and social democratic responses to it in the US, UK and elsewhere, and more. We also...

This is a teaser preview of one of our Radical Reads episodes, made exclusively for our supporters on patreon. You can listen to the full 67-minute episode without ads and support our work at https://www.patreon.com/posts/e113-radical-of-143322722 In this episode, we discuss Beverly Silver's pioneering work, Forces of Labour: Workers' Movements and Globalisation Since 1870 , a book which was hugel...

An update for you on the Working Class History podcast and its future.  In short, we began releasing much more frequent podcast episodes 18 months ago, in an effort to get more supporters on Patreon. While we were able to grow our support, it has not been sufficient to cover our increased costs, and we have now run out of episodes. So we will be taking an end of season break, to work on new episod...

As part of our  Radical Reads  series, we speak about our latest book,  Be Gay, Do Crime: Everyday Acts of Queer Resistance and Rebellion , with editors Zane McNeill, Blu Buchanan and Riley Clare Valentine. Radical Reads  is one of our  Patreon -only exclusive series, where we discuss texts – both old and new – that have either influenced the WCH project, or texts that we generally think that peop...

Preview extract of a bonus episode of our double podcast on the successful mass direct action campaign against the UK poll tax in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In conversation with Dave Morris from the Tottenham Anti-Poll Tax campaign and Haringey Solidarity Group. This part covers more information about Dave’s life and activism, different left strategies within the campaign, undercover police i...

Second of a double podcast episode about the successful mass direct action campaign against the UK poll tax in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In conversation with Dave Morris from the Tottenham Anti-Poll Tax campaign and Haringey Solidarity Group. This part covers repercussions from the poll tax riot, the non-payment campaign, legal defence, repression, how the struggle was won, and lessons for t...

First of a double podcast episode about the successful mass direct action campaign against the UK poll tax in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In conversation with Dave Morris from the Tottenham Anti-Poll Tax campaign and Haringey Solidarity Group. This part covers the background, Thatcherism, introduction of the tax in Scotland, the beginnings of resistance, and the poll tax riot. Our podcast is b...

Following our double-episode on the  Florence Working-Class Literature Festival  back in February, our co-host Matt was invited to this year’s festival, recording this episode on-site at the ex-GKN factory in Florence. Featuring the various writers, researchers, organisers, and activists in attendance, this episode captures the atmosphere of the festival at this critical time for the GKN struggle....

Concluding part of our double episode about the crucial role played by women in the great miners’ strike in Britain, 1984-5, in conversation with Heather Wood, chair of the Easington women’s strike support group.  Our podcast is brought to you by our Patreon supporters . Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclusive early access to podcast episodes without ads, bonus episodes, two excl...

Double episode about the crucial role played by women in the great miners’ strike in Britain, 1984-5, in conversation with Heather Wood, chair of the Easington women’s strike support group.  Our podcast is brought to you by our Patreon supporters . Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclusive early access to podcast episodes without ads, bonus episodes, two exclusive podcast series – ...

Teaser of our latest Fireside Chat , available in full exclusively for our supporters on Patreon . A couple of years ago, John from WCH and Ade from our Farsi-language sister project, Daily Worker History Farsi, were interviewed for the Hope Dies Last podcast by musician and journalist Ryan Harvey. Ryan didn't end up having the time to finish the episode, so we thought we would turn it into a Fire...

This is a teaser preview of one of our Radical Reads episodes, made exclusively for our supporters on patreon. You can listen to the full 122-minute episode without ads and support our work at https://www.patreon.com/posts/e106-radical-in-129688227 In this episode, we speak to Eli Friedman and Kevin Lin about their new book, China in Global Capitalism: Building International Solidarity Against Imp...