Working Class History

Part 1 of our double-podcast episode to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1972 building workers' strike. In this episode, we speak to two participants in the strike - Tony O'Brien and the actor, Ricky Tomlinson - who talk about conditions in the building industry, how the strike started, and the flying pickets organised by the rank and file that spread it across the country. Full acknowledge...

Concluding part of our double podcast episode about Mildred Fish-Harnack, the US-born woman at the centre of the underground resistance to Nazism in Berlin during World War II. In conversation with Rebecca Donner, Mildred’s great great niece and author of All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days. Our podcast is brought to you by our patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get...

First in a double podcast episode about Mildred Fish-Harnack, the US-born woman at the centre of the underground resistance to Nazism in Berlin during World War II. In conversation with Rebecca Donner, Mildred’s great great niece and author of All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days. Our podcast is brought to you by our patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclusive ea...

Part 2 of our double-episode in which we talk to acclaimed author, poet and Professor of Children’s Literature, Michael Rosen, about his anthology, Workers’ Tales: Socialist Fairy Tales, Fables, and Allegories from Great Britain, which gathers together short stories from the labour and socialist press between 1880 and 1920. In this episode, Michael shows how popular children’s stories (like Wind i...

A Working Class Literature podcast double-episode in which we talk to acclaimed author, poet and Professor of Children's Literature, Michael Rosen, about his anthology, Workers' Tales: Socialist Fairy Tales, Fables, and Allegories from Great Britain, which gathers together short stories from the labour and socialist press between 1880 and 1920. You can buy a copy of Michael's anthology here: https...

Second of a double podcast episode about the League of Revolutionary Black Workers in Detroit in the late 60s/early 70s, in conversation with Herb Boyd, author of Black Detroit and former member of the group, and Dan Georgakas, author of Detroit I Do Mind Dying. This podcast is only possible because of support from our listeners on patreon. Join us and get access to exclusive content at https://pa...

Double podcast episode about the League of Revolutionary Black Workers in Detroit in the late 60s/early 70s, in conversation with Herb Boyd, author of Black Detroit and former member of the group, and Dan Georgakas, author of Detroit I Do Mind Dying. This podcast is only possible because of support from our listeners on patreon. Join us and get access to exclusive content at https://patreon.com/wo...

Concluding part of our double podcast episode on the 1977 Bread Intifada in Egypt. We speak with journalist and revolutionary socialist, Hossam el-Hamalawy, about the uprising and its significance today. 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, bonus episodes, free and discounted merchandise...

Part 1 of our double episode on the 1977 Bread Intifada in Egypt, in which hundreds of thousands of working-class Egyptians rose up against the government’s termination of food subsidies. We speak to Egyptian journalist and revolutionary socialist, Hossam el-Hamalawy, about the uprising, the decade of worker-student militancy leading up to it, and its relevance today. Our podcast is brought to you...

Concluding part of a double podcast episode on the West Virginia mine wars 1902-1922. We speak with Catherine Moore and others from the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum, as well as some West Virginia teachers who had just been on strike about the conflicts, and how they are remembered today. Our podcast is brought to you by our patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get excl...

Part 1 of a double podcast episode on the West Virginia mine wars 1902-1922. We speak with Catherine Moore and others from the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum, as well as some West Virginia teachers who had just been on strike about the conflicts, and how they are remembered today. Our podcast is brought to you by our patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclusive ear...

The final part of our four-part podcast miniseries about the May 18 uprising in Gwangju, South Korea, in 1980 against the US-backed military dictatorship of Chun Doo Hwan. We speak with Kim Yong Ho, David Dolinger and Jeon Yong Ho, who took part in the events, as well as researcher and lead translator of the excellent book, Gwangju Diary, Kap Su Seol. Our podcast is brought to you by our patreon s...

Part 3 of our four-part podcast miniseries about the May 18 uprising in Gwangju, South Korea, in 1980 against the US-backed military dictatorship of Chun Doo Hwan. We speak with Kim Yong Ho, David Dolinger and Jeon Yong Ho, who took part in the events, as well as researcher and lead translator of the excellent book, Gwangju Diary, Kap Su Seol. Our podcast is brought to you by our patreon supporter...

Part 2 of our four-part podcast miniseries about the May 18 uprising in Gwangju, South Korea, in 1980 against the US-backed military dictatorship of Chun Doo Hwan. We speak with Kim Yong Ho, David Dolinger and Jeon Yong Ho, who took part in the events, as well as researcher and lead translator of the excellent book, Gwangju Diary, Kap Su Seol. Our podcast is brought to you by our patreon supporter...

First part of our podcast miniseries about the May 18 uprising in Gwangju, South Korea, in 1980 against the US-backed military dictatorship of Chun Doo Hwan. We speak with Kim Yong Ho, David Dolinger and Jeon Yong Ho, who took part in the events, as well as researcher and lead translator of the excellent book, Gwangju Diary , Kap Su Seol. Our podcast is brought to you by our patreon supporters. Ou...

Podcast episode about the history of the revolutionary union the Industrial Workers of the World in Canada. We speak with historian and author Mark Leier about the union’s organising work amongst loggers, miners, road and railroad construction workers, First Nations dock workers and more. Our podcast is brought to you by our patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclu...

Episode two of the Working Class Literature podcast about Joseph Skipsey, a poet and coal miner from the North East of England. After entering the mines as a child, he would grow up to become a nationally-renowned poet, respected by some of the most famous artists of the nineteenth century. In this episode, we speak to researcher Dr Gordon Tait and musician Chris Harrison, both of whom have been d...

Podcast episode about two extremely influential South Korean worker organisers, Jeon Tae-il and Lee So-sun, and the autonomous self-organisation of women textile and garment workers in the country from the 1960s to the 1980s. 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, bonus episodes, free and...

Podcast episode in which we talk about our new book, Working Class History: Everyday Acts of Resistance & Rebellion, with our friends at the Coffee with Comrades podcast, which they edited and put out as their episode 114. They kindly shared the audio with us, which we have lightly edited for brevity and include here as our latest episode. In it, we discuss the book, the WCH project, the natur...

As a far-right mob storms the Capitol in Washington DC, learn more about the history of opposition to white supremacy in the US. This podcast episode tells the story of Anti-Racist Action, a militant anti-fascist organisation in Minneapolis, Minnesota founded in the 1980s. Our podcast is brought to you by our patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclusive early acces...

Concluding part of our double podcast episode about green bans by building workers in Australia from 1970 to 1975 which held up billions of dollars of development which would have been harmful to the environment, or working class and Aboriginal communities. Our podcast is brought to you by our patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclusive early access to podcast epi...

Double podcast episode about green bans by building workers in Australia from 1970 to 1975 which held up billions of dollars of development which would have been harmful to the environment, or working class and Aboriginal communities. 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, bonus episodes,...

Third of our four-part miniseries on opposition to the Vietnam war in the US, in conversation with five former participants in the movement. This week we look at anti-war organising with US prisoners of war, labour organising, increasing militancy of the movement, the end of the war and lessons for today. Our podcast is brought to you by our patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in...

Third of our four-part miniseries on opposition to the Vietnam war in the US, in conversation with five former participants in the movement. This week we look at the intersection between the Black liberation movement and the anti-war movement, hear the experiences of a draft resistor, and learn more about the increasing state repression. Our podcast is brought to you by our patreon supporters. Our...

Second of our four-part miniseries on opposition to the Vietnam war in the US, in conversation with five former participants in the movement. This week we examine their tactics, tax resistance, draft resistance, and organising with Vietnamese women. 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, b...