Direct Action & Sabotage: Three Classic IWW Pamphlets from the 1910s

by Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Walker C Smith, William E Trautman

'Direct Action & Sabotage' (1912) by William Trautman, ' It's History, Philosophy And Function' (1913) by Walker Smith, and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn's ' The Conscious Withdrawal Of The Workers' Industrial Efficiency' (1916), edited, and with an introduction by Salvatore Salerno. "The activist authors of the text s in this collection challenged the prevailing stereotype....As they point out, the practice of direct action, and of sabotage, are as old as class society itself, and have been an integral part of the everyday worklife of wage-earners in all times and places. To the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) belongs the distinction of being the first workers' organization in the US to discuss these common practices openly, and to recognize their place in working class struggle. View direct action and sabotage in the spirit of creative nonviolence, Wobblies readily integrated these tactics into their struggle to build industrial unions." [From the Introduction]

Genres: Politics, Labor, Nonfiction, Activism, Philosophy, History

124 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

A labor leader, activist, and feminist who played a leading role in the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Flynn was a founding member of the American Civil Liberties Union and a visible proponent of women's rights, birth control, and women's suffrage. She joined the American Communist Party in 1936 and late in life, in 1961, became its chairwoman. She died during a visit to the Soviet Union, where she was accorded a state funeral.

Reviews

[Emily]

A really enjoyable read, and a great intro to the IWW because they’re primary sources literally designed to briefly introduce you to (and persuade you of) some of the labor tactics and philosophies of the IWW. Also, a very prescient read in that the Amazon warehouse strikers and boycott were not far from my mind.

[Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not hostile to anarchists they often supply good critiques or analyses but their solutions I am less convinced by.
Direct Action is a concept I agree with in theory. In practice Direct Action succeeds only in superficial change. The best example I can think of is the assassinations undertaken by the Russian Anarchist groups in the 19th century which while changing the composition of the Czarist government did not succeed in toppling Czarism. That is of course not to say that in some way they did not serve a greater purpose as Russia did throw off Czarism eventually merely that Direct Action alone without a greater goal or organization behind it is unfocused and ineffective.

[Jerome Berglund · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only reason they have not suppressed this is no one knows about or has any interest in reading it. If workers got a real mind to and applied the contents they’d send Pinkertons to burn them up the way Rockefeller did in Ludlow. Probably a greater more practical threat to the capitalist status quo than the manifesto, the anarchist cookbook or Mao’s little red one put together, with the additional benefit of wonderful political cartoons. Also contains some fascinating insights into Minnesotan organizing history from the early 1900’s, and the state’s context in and contributions to important nascent struggles of the burgeoning labor movement.

[Maxwell Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

An accessible introduction to the value of sabotage against the evils of capitalism. Though relying on references to industry and labor organization that are by now mostly outdated, this collection encourages a reframing of the value of sabotage for our modern time and workplace environment.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting look into the politics of the IWW and the left at large in the early 20th century regarding sabotage and direct action.