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When the State Trembled

How A.J. Andrews and the Citizens' Committee Broke the Winnipeg General Strike

Tom Mitchell author Reinhold Kramer author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:University of Toronto Press

Published:1st Oct '10

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When the State Trembled cover

This insightful exploration of the Winnipeg General Strike reveals the powerful influence of the Citizens' Committee of 1000 in shaping labor relations in Canada.

The book When the State Trembled uncovers the previously untold narrative of the Citizens' Committee of 1000, a group formed by Winnipeg's business elite to suppress the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919. This pivotal strike, involving around 30,000 workers, is recognized as Canada's most significant labor uprising. The authors delve into how the Citizens' Committee not only aimed to maintain the status quo but also utilized a variety of anti-labor tactics to fracture working-class unity and sway public opinion against the strike.

Through meticulous research, When the State Trembled reveals the intricate strategies employed by the Citizens, including newly discovered correspondence between key figures like lawyer A.J. Andrews and Acting Minister of Justice Arthur Meighen. This correspondence sheds light on the collaboration between the state and business leaders, illustrating how they worked together to label the general strike as a criminal endeavor. The narrative also highlights the aftermath of the strike, where the prosecution of its leaders for sedition reflects deep-rooted fears of radicalism and the ongoing tension between labor and capital.

This landmark study not only enriches Canadian working-class history but also offers a profound analysis of the political and social dynamics in post-1918 Canada. With comprehensive scholarship and a fresh perspective, When the State Trembled challenges readers to reconsider the implications of the Winnipeg General Strike and its significance in shaping the nation’s liberal order.

‘In reading When the State Trembled one can make far better estimate of the advantages and dangers of a general strike. This adds to the value of the book. But above all, it is a well-crafted and reliable history. It deserves a wide readership.’ -- William Bruneau: CAUT Bulletin, vol 58 May 2011
‘Kramer & Mitchell uncovered a mountain of new archival documents that allow them to reconstruct this event in an entirely different way…The authors have given us a rich new narrative and a much more nuanced analysis of class conflict in Canada after World War I.’
-- Craig Heron, American Historical Review; vol 116: 05: 2011
'The labour revolt of 1919 was a moment of legitimate threat to the Canadian ruling class. Thanks to Reinhold Kramer and Tom Mitchell we now have a much richer understanding of that moment, and students of the Canadian left have been given renewed impetus to explore one of the defining moments of Canadian history.' -- Peter Campbell * Socialist Studies; vol 7:1-2:2011 *
‘By bringing the Citizens' Committee out of the shadows and into the limelight, Kramer and Mitchell reveal a hitherto hidden dimension of the strike... what was unusual about the Citizens' is the extent to which its members assumed the state's powers. What makes Kramer and Mitchell's narrative so compelling is not simply that it is well written, but that it is even-handed. ’ -- Judy Fudge; Canadian Labour & Employment Law Journal, vol 16:01:2011
‘This book should be read by all Canadians who seek to understand our country and its evolving relations between state and citizen.’ -- Eric Sager * Journal of Historical Biography vol9: Spring 2011 *
‘This detailed narrative illuminates the actions of both the Citizens and the strikers… What emerges is a compelling case study of a local bourgeoisie in a state of crisis, and how it mobilized closely knit associations and an array of ideological and legal tools to respond to a defiant and mobilized working class.’ -- Banjamin Isitt * Labour/La Travail vol 70: 2012 *

  • Short-listed for The Dafoe Book Prize awarded by The J.W. Dafoe Foundation 2011 (Canada)

ISBN: 9781442611160

Dimensions: 216mm x 142mm x 30mm

Weight: 620g

464 pages