The Haymarket Riot In Chicago Summary

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The riot in Chicago on May 1, 1886 was one of the biggest turning points in the history of the United States labor movement also in the United States society. The riot ended up with numerous fatalities among police officers and civilians and resulted in the trial and death penalty of four revolutionaries that marked the severe punishment of any manifestation of terrorism in the US. On the other hand, such an outcome of the Haymarket riot in Chicago affected the development of the labor movement in the US, which many Americans had started to associate with a revolutionary and terrorist movement. The riot in Chicago undermined the development of the labor movement because workers and union leaders could not raise the public opinion in support …show more content…

The author pays a lot of attention to the depiction of the tragic event. At the same time, the author looks back into the past to understand how the tragedy occurred and what factors contributed to the riot in Chicago in 1886. The author covers about twenty years of the rise of the labor movement and growing anarchist trends in the US society along with the ongoing deterioration of the position of workers in large industrial areas of the US, such as Chicago and other large urban areas, where the fast industrialization resulted in the fast growth of the number of workers and consistent deterioration of their socioeconomic position. The author focuses on the rise of the labor movement that was a response of workers to the unjust policies conducted by owners of large plants, who were supported by the government. In addition, revolutionary ideas became more and more popular in the US by the late 19th century. The position of workers became desperate and they united their efforts in their struggle for their rights and better conditions of work and …show more content…

At the same time, the author avoids making any close correlations or revelations concerning the Haymarket riot. Instead, the tone of the book is neutral that allows readers to make their own conclusions about causes and effects of the tragedy, whereas the author just attempts to remain behind the scene as a mere narrator of the story of the Haymarket bombing. The precise depiction of facts and events that preceded the bombing is very important because readers can understand the tension that existed at the moment of the bombing between workers and police as well as between workers and the ruling

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