Graphic History Collective

In May and June 1919, thousands of workers walked off their jobs in the city of Winnipeg to voice their anger at several issues including the lack of collective bargaining rights, union recognition, and growing inequality. In Direct Action Gets the Goods: A Graphic History of the Strike in Canada, the Graphic History Collective looks at many of the strikes that have helped form Canada starting even before it became a country when in 1829, Cree boatman refused to work for the Hudson's Bay Company unless they received the same pay for their pelts as those who worked for York Factory. It then follows a timeline right up to 2018 when graduate students and contract faculty struck at York University.

For anyone interested in the history of labour in Canada, this is a fascinating read. Art has been a very important part of union history since its beginnings and it works well here to advance the narrative. Although it was released to commemorate the Winnipeg General Strike, it is a valuable resource for future actions, not only for labour but for other movements whether the climate days of action or against austerity measures that are presently being enacted against the most vulnerable in our society including the recent cuts to healthcare and education and not only in Canada.

Thanks to Netgalley and between the Lines for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review… (plus d'informations)

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike, an important event not only in the history of labour in Canada but the history of the country in general. The Graphic History Collective and David Lester have released 1919: A Graphic History of the Winnipeg General Strike to commemorate this event.

On May 15th, approximately 30,000 workers in Winnipeg, Manitoba walked off the job to protest their working conditions. Despite attempts by the government and corporations to end the strike including charges of foreign agitators and the use of force, the strike would continue for six weeks and spread to many cities across the country.

Finally, on June17th, the mayor of Winnipeg called in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who charged on horseback into the crowd of strikers, beating them with clubs and firing their weapons. The day, known as ‘Bloody Saturday’, ended with federal troops taking over the city’s streets.

Faced with the real possibility of more and deadly violence by the government and employers, the strike was finally called off on June 25th. It ended, seemingly, in defeat but it would prove to have long-lasting repercussions for the labour movement in Canada. It led to an increase in unionism and radicalism across the country. It would still be several decades but, eventually, thanks in great part to the legacy of the strike, workers achieved the rights to union recognition and collective bargaining.

It also led to more political involvement by Labour, JS Woodsworth, one of the leaders of the strike, who was sentenced to a year in prison would afterwards go on to found the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation which eventually became the New Democratic Party, a social democratic party which still maintains ties to Labour.

As a graphic novel, 1919 is, by necessity, not a complete historical account of the strike but rather more an introduction. However, it is a great introduction for anyone interested in what is still one of the most, if not the most, influential strikes in Canadian history and I recommend it highly.

Thanks to Netgally and the The Graphic History Collective for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review… (plus d'informations)

This should really not be a graphic novel. A graphic novel is supposed to tell a a story. But this one is severely lacking. If there were not the preface and Introduction sections of this book (which read like a boring history textbook) the reader would have no real idea of what is going on, or why it was so important to get it’s own graphic novel. Don’t get me wrong, the finished illustrations are well done, but it feels too much like a yearbook; here's a guy and his name, here is a time and a shot, here is a turned over trolley. But very little reasoning. This book tries so hard to be March but the collective didn’t look at what made March so successful. It had a story. A beginning, a middle, and an end. It didn’t need to give a textbook lecture to get its story across to the readers.… (plus d'informations)