FILMADRIA’s Haymarket: The Bomb, The Anarchists, The Labor Struggle discusses the events that transpired when hundreds of thousands of workers in the United States went on strike to protest unlivable wages and dangerous working conditions during the Gilded Age. On the evening of May 4th 1886, during a peaceful rally in Chicago, a bomb exploded killing both police officers and civilians, an act of violence that changed the world. Eight Chicago labor activists who were believed to be innocent were tried, with four being executed despite numerous public protests. The event became known as the Haymarket Tragedy.
The film examines the mindset of American labor unions during this point in American history. During the Gilded Age, radicals envisioned a world of socialist values, in which no employee was exploited by their employer. During this time, the values of socialism and anarchism were separated by the tactics used to enact their goals. This examination of radical political beliefs makes the documentary especially intriguing for students and educators interested in topics like anarchism, American terrorism, and US labor history.
Haymarket: The Bomb, The Anarchists, The Labor Struggle is a unique film that contextualizes the labor struggles of the Gilded Age within the social mindsets and trends brought on by the Industrial Revolution. The documentary successfully demonstrates how the Haymarket Tragedy was a turning point in how the working class was treated. This exceptional documentary would be an optimal choice for library collection development centering on American history and politics.