From the time of its foundation in 1905 through to the repression of the war years that culminated in the great Chicago trial in 1918, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or Wobblies) fought tirelessly for a socialist revolution in the United States. The determination, ingenuity and courage of its members in the face of brutal, often murderous opponents still remains an inspiration to socialists throughout the world today.
This volume is certainly not intended as a full history of the IWW, but merely as an introduction to that history, hopefully encouraging the reader to both learn more about and to be enthused and inspired by the battles fought by this remarkable organisation. And, of course, the history of the IWW continued into the post-war years in the United States and indeed continues today. Nevertheless, part of the argument put forward here is that in the post-war period, the revolutionary politics of the IWW were superceded, not just in the United States but worldwide.
As Jim Cannon, a former Wobbly and Communist and later one of the founders of American Trotskyism, put it, the IWW was “the great anticipation”. Even so there is still much that we can learn from the IWW. And their revolutionary example, mistakes and all, remains exemplary.