"Pay attention, because The Edge of Anarchy not only captures the flickering Kinetoscopic spirit of one of the great Labor-Capital showdowns in American history, it helps focus today's great debates over the power of economic concentration and the rights and futures of American workers." --Brian Alexander, author of Glass House
"In gripping detail, The Edge of Anarchy reminds us of what a pivotal figure Eugene V. Debs was in the history of American labor... a tale of courage and the steadfast pursuit of principles at great personal risk." --Tom Clavin, New York Times bestselling author of Dodge City
The dramatic story of the explosive 1894 clash of industry, labor, and government that shook the nation and marked a turning point for America.
The Edge of Anarchy by Jack Kelly offers a vivid account of the greatest uprising of working people in American history. At the pinnacle of the Gilded Age, a boycott of Pullman sleeping cars by hundreds of thousands of railroad employees brought commerce to a standstill across much of the country. Famine threatened, riots broke out along the rail lines. Soon the U.S. Army was on the march and gunfire rang from the streets of major cities.
This epochal tale offers fascinating portraits of two iconic characters of the age. George Pullman, who amassed a fortune by making train travel a pleasure, thought the model town that he built for his workers would erase urban squalor. Eugene Debs, founder of the nation's first industrial union, was determined to wrench power away from the reigning plutocrats. The clash between the two men's conflicting ideals pushed the country to what the U.S. Attorney General called "the ragged edge of anarchy."
Many of the themes of The Edge of Anarchy could be taken from today's headlines--upheaval in America's industrial heartland, wage stagnation, breakneck technological change, and festering conflict over race, immigration, and inequality. With the country now in a New Gilded Age, this look back at the violent conflict of an earlier era offers illuminating perspectives along with a breathtaking story of a nation on the edge.
PAT'S REVIEW
| There is really a lot to this story that would affect the Nation for years to come. The strike started because the Pullman factory which made the Pullman railroad cars reduced wages to their workers in the factory. What they did not lower was the rent they paid, the cost for fuel to their homes or for food. You see what are fine schools do not teach any more is that before unions when you worked for some companies you also had to live at their housing and shop at their store, etc…. This of course was owned by the person who owned the company. Many people think it just happened in the mines but no it was throughout most businesses for a long period of time. The strike was about being fair if you cut our wages cut the other items as well. They said no. The author will take you through the strike and how it was handled on both sides’ right and wrong. The Attorney General the President Cleveland hand was a lawyer for the railroads just prior to taking the position so there was not a conflict of interest at all. The deaths that occurred started to cause some panic and that is when the Attorney General started having troops go along with the trains because he put mailbags in the Pullman cars. Clarence Darrow a fighter for the people and for the beginning of unions fought against the government and they did drop one charge but still charged the man main man with jail time. Overall a very good story about our history. The Pullman Company did last until 1950 and the homes just went into the Southside of Chicago. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com |
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