Notable General Strikes
The largest general strike that ever stopped the economy of an advanced industrial country – and the first general wildcat strike in history – was May 1968 in France. The prolonged strike involved eleven million workers for two weeks in a row, and its impact was such that it almost caused the collapse of the de Gaulle government. Other notable general strikes include:
- 494 BC: The Aventine Secession, Ancient Rome, creating the Tribune of the Plebs
- 449 BC: A secessio plebis leading to the adoption of the Twelve Tables
- 287 BC: A secessio plebis leading to the adoption of the Lex Hortensia
(Note: "plebeian secession" was a tactic used by the Roman plebs of vacating a city entirely and leaving its ruling elite to fend for itself, thus an even more radical action than a "general strike", yet unlike the latter term, it does not pertain to withholding labor within a wage-system. General strikes in the current sense of the term only begin to take place in a context where in which labor is treated as a commodity, and wage workers collectively organize to halt production.)
- 1842: 1842 General Strike, Great Britain
- 1877: St. Louis general strike, St. Louis, Missouri, an outgrowth of the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 in the United States
- 1886: Walloon jacquerie of 1886 Wallonia
- 1892: New Orleans General Strike, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
- 1893: Belgian general strike of 1893, Belgium, Wallonia
- 1902: Geneva General Strike of 1902, Switzerland
- 1905: The Great October Strike, Russia; see 1905 Russian Revolution
- 1907: Geneva General Strike of 1907, Switzerland
- 1907: New Orleans Levee General Strike, United States
- 1909: A general strike coupled with a major uprising in Barcelona
- 1909: Swedish General Strike
- 1909: Uprising of the 20,000, New York, NY, U.S.
- 1912: Brisbane General Strike, Australia
- 1912: Zurich General Strike of 1912, Switzerland
- 1917: Australian General Strike
- 1917: Brazilian General Strike
- 1917: Spanish General Strike
- 1918: Swiss General Strike
- 1919: Barcelona General Strike, Spain
- 1919: Winnipeg General Strike, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- 1919: Seattle General Strike, Seattle, Washington, U.S.
- 1919: General Strike in Basel and Zurich 1919, Switzerland
- 1920: German Kapp Putsch Strike
- 1922: Italian General Strike
- 1920: German passive resistance strikes at the Ruhr
- 1926: UK General Strike of 1926
- 1933: French general strike of 1933
- 1932: Geneva General Strike of 1932, Switzerland
- 1934: West Coast Longshoremen's Strike, US
- 1934: Minneapolis Teamsters Strike, US
- 1934: Toledo Auto-Lite Strike, US
- 1936: Palestinian general strike
- 1936: French general strike of 1936
- 1936: Syrian General Strike
- 1941: February Strike, Netherlands
- 1942: Luxembourgian General Strike
- 1946: Indian General Strike
- 1946: Oakland, California General Strike
- 1950: Austrian General Strikes
- 1950: General strike against Leopold III of Belgium
- 1953: Hartal 1953, Ceylon
- 1954: General strike of 1954, Honduras
- 1956: Finnish General Strike
- 1958: Bahamas General Strike
- 1960: 1960-1961 Winter General Strike in Wallonia
- 1968: French General Strike
- 1973: Uruguayan General Strike
- 1974: Ulster Workers Council Strike, Northern Ireland.
- 1984: Uruguayan General Strike
- 1988: Spanish General Strike
- 1989: Two-hour general strike of all citizens of Czechoslovakia during the Velvet Revolution
- 1992: Nepalese General Strike
- 1995: French Public Sector Strikes
- 1995: Days of Action, Canada
- 2000: Cochabamba General Strike, Bolivia
- 2002: Italian General Strike
- 2002–2003: Venezuelan General Strike
- 2005: Bolivian Gas Conflict
- 2006: April 2006 Nepalese General Strike
- 2007: Guinea General Strike
- 2009: French Caribbean General Strikes
- 2010: Spanish General Strike
- 2011: Oakland, California general strike
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Famous quotes containing the words notable, general and/or strikes:
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“You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well...”
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