Class War in the USA: The Untold Story – Part Two (1938-2026)

In the aftermath of World War Two, American workers launched the biggest strike wave in the country’s history. In a single year, over 100 million workdays were lost, and the bosses were forced to give ground. Yet by 1980, unions were in retreat, living standards were stagnating and the rich were getting richer. What happened?

In part two of our series on the history of the US labour movement, Fred Weston, leading member of the Revolutionary Communist International, rejoins Joe Attard to pick up where we left off.

We start with Roosevelt’s New Deal, which the reformist left celebrates as a victory for the working class. Was FDR really a friend of labour, or was he saving capitalism from itself? From there, we follow how the movement was reined in, first by its own leaders during the war, then by repression and the postwar boom.

But the calm didn’t last. The 60s and 70s saw a new wave of radicalisation, wildcat strikes and class struggle, only for it to be crushed by the Reagan offensive and followed by a long period of dormancy.

But now, from the Wisconsin uprising to the Minneapolis general strike, this sleeping giant is stirring again, rediscovering its strength, and becoming increasingly open to the ideas of communism and revolution…

This is the real history of the American class struggle that Donald Trump and Elon Musk don’t want you to hear – and one full of lessons for class fighters today.

If you haven’t already, watch part one first! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4StM0c2c2w

📖 Texts mentioned 📖 Book: "A People’s History of the United States" by Howard Zinn Book: "Socialism on Trial" by James P. Cannon Movie: "Harlan County, USA" by Barbara Kopple Article: Why does the CPUSA support Democratic Party candidates for the presidency instead of running their own candidates? https://www.cpusa.org/interact_cpusa/why-does-the-cpusa-support-democratic-party-candidates-for-the-presidency-instead-of-running-their-own-candidates/ Article: Social democrats are not the enemy right now https://www.cpusa.org/article/social-democrats-are-not-the-enemy-right-now/ Article: Trade Unions in the Epoch of Imperialist Decay by Leon Trotsky https://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1940/xx/tu.htm

⏱️ Timestamps ⏱️ 0:00 Introduction 1:24 The New Deal and the Wagner Act 14:23 Strikes in World War Two 19:19 The no-strike pledge and the Communist Party 30:58 Soldiers, war profits and the Labor Party question 43:37 The 1945-46 strike wave 58:22 Taft-Hartley and the Red Scare 1:09:11 The postwar boom and the AFL-CIO merger 1:15:19 Strikes of the 1960s 1:21:33 The 1970 postal strike and the 1970s 1:29:00 Harlan County, USA 1:33:50 The 1970s internationally 1:38:17 Chrysler bailout and PATCO 1:40:55 Union decline and recent strikes 1:48:57 Wages, productivity and Minneapolis 1:56:12 Lessons for the coming class war

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