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History General

The Workers' Revolt in Canada, 1917-1925

edited by Craig Heron

Publisher
University of Toronto Press
Initial publish date
May 1998
Category
General, 20th Century, Labor & Employment, Social Classes, Labor & Industrial Relations, Social History
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780802080820
    Publish Date
    May 1998
    List Price
    $49.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781442682566
    Publish Date
    Apr 1998
    List Price
    $105.00
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9780802042385
    Publish Date
    May 1998
    List Price
    $107.00

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Description

Canadians often consider the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 to be the defining event in working-class history after the First World War. This book, the collaboration of nine labour historians, shows that the unrest was both more diverse and more widespread across the country than is generally believed.

The authors clarify what happened in working-class Canada at the end of the war and situate 'the workers' revolt' within the larger structure of Canadian social, economic, and political history. They argue that, despite a national pattern, the upsurge of protest took different courses and faced different obstacles in each region of the country. Their essays shed light on the extent of the revolt nationally while retaining a sensitivity to regional distinctiveness.

Drawing on the approaches of social history, this study moves beyond the history of the strike and union organization that characterizes conventional labour history, and re-examines what was once called the 'western revolt.' The Workers' Revolt in Canada combines fresh archival research with a great body of secondary literature on the subject to produce a compelling new synthesis, which will be of great use to teachers and of interest to economists, sociologists, and historians.

About the author

CRAIG HERON is a professor of History at York University in Toronto and the author of several works in Canadian social history, including Working in Steel: The Early Years in Canada, 1883-1935, The Workers? Revolt in Canada, 1917-1925, Booze: A Distilled History, and The Workers? Festival: A History of Labour Day in Canada. He lives in Toronto.

Craig Heron's profile page