Class Struggle Built the Swedish Welfare State
Swedish social democracy produced one of the most humane societies in history. That wouldn’t have happened without a militant labor movement and a working-class political party.
Search Result(s) for: “working class”
Breaking the Chains of Command
For centuries, working-class people have been sent to die in wars for empire. The rich history of soldier revolt isn’t just about foreign policy — it’s about breaking the power of the mighty in society as a whole.
How Trump Won
The Democratic Party's abandonment of the working class cleared the space for Trump.
The Neoliberal View of Inflation Is Convenient for Capitalists — But It’s Wrong
Neoliberals say that inflation is directly caused by high social spending and good wages, and that working-class people must sacrifice these to bring prices down. But there are other causes of inflation, and solutions to it that don’t pit us against ourselves.
Shuggie Bain, a Window on Postindustrial Glasgow
Douglas Stuart’s debut novel, Shuggie Bain, richly conveys the harshness of life in Thatcher-era Scotland. Yet with its focus on the resilience of working-class women, this love letter to Glasgow is anything but misery-lit.
“As Long as Exploitation Is the Default, We Won’t Get to a Place of Liberation.”
We caught up with Candi CdeBaca, a democratic socialist on Denver’s city council who took on the city’s for-profit prison system and won. She spoke to us about growing up working class and becoming a socialist: “When I got to college, I really recognized that the game was rigged.”
Julien Lahaut Was Belgium’s Working-Class Communist Leader
The Belgian Communist leader Julien Lahaut was murdered on this day in 1950. The circumstances of his assassination were hushed up for decades — but it was quickly clear that he was killed because he was a powerful leader for his class.
Farewell to a Working-Class Hero
Pat Carta was part of a generation of workers and organizers whose immense knowledge about overcoming fear to build class consciousness and worker power will never be found in a book.
UAW President Shawn Fain: “It Is Long Past Time to Stand Up for the Working Class”
In a speech to United Auto Workers members on Wednesday, Shawn Fain laid into the Big Three, explained the UAW's new “stand-up strike,” and invoked the Bible to declare their battle a righteous fight for justice. We print his prepared remarks here in full.
150 Years Ago, Friedrich Engels Correctly Assessed What’s Wrong With Housing Under Capitalism
In 1872, Friedrich Engels wrote The Housing Question, tying the working class’s perpetual housing crisis to the free market in Victorian England. The century and a half of housing crises since have proved Engels correct.
Meet the Socialists Keeping Alive Working-Class Politics in Melbourne
As Melbourne’s October council elections approach, the Victorian Socialists are stepping up their fight against neoliberalism — by fielding an unprecedented slate of 19 candidates, across five municipalities.
In Weimar Germany, Women Fought for Abortion Justice
Abortion was illegal in Weimar Germany — and poor women were most often punished for breaking the law. The fight for legalization was also a struggle for the justice reform and welfare measures that would truly empower working-class women.
How the Other Half Goes to College
Rich parents bribing their kids' way into elite schools shows how college admissions is anything but a meritocracy. But the flipside is how poor and working-class kids face barrier after barrier to attending higher education at all, as this advisor to first-generation college students explains.
To Defeat Le Pen, France’s Left Needs to Offer Hope
Faced with France’s snap elections, the left-wing parties built an alliance in record time. But to defeat Marine Le Pen, sounding the alarm about the far right won’t suffice. The Left will need to offer a positive vision for working-class France.
A People’s History of the Hoser, Canada’s Blue-Collar Icon
From Bob and Doug McKenzie to the Trailer Park Boys, the Canadian hoser is an integral part of the country’s cultural landscape. The hoser is also a working-class emblem, whose uncertain fortune in the face of economic downturns reflects the wider experience of Canadian workers.
The Housing Question
We talked to four tenant organizers about how to build working-class movements for housing justice.
The US Left Must Rebuild Broken Links to Soldiers and Veterans
While the armed forces carry out the mission of US imperialism, millions of working people sit at the heart of that machine, drawn to become soldiers by the promise of economic stability. A Left looking to rebuild links with the working class can’t avoid them.
The Improbable Resurgence of Die Linke
A burst of enthusiasm among the membership has given Germany’s socialist party Die Linke what might be its last chance at renewal. But becoming a party of the working class will take a lot more than a last-minute turnaround at the polls.
How China Avoided a Soviet-Style Collapse
What have three decades of market reforms meant for the world’s largest working class?
The Road to Climate Action Might Run Through Labor Law Reform
Democratic Socialists of America is pushing for the PRO Act as part of its climate strategy — because it realizes that rebuilding working-class power is crucial to confronting the climate crisis.