Seattle General Strike

Seattle General Strike
Part of the First Red Scare
Union Record Monday, February 3, 1919
Date	February 6–11, 1919
Location	Seattle, Washington
Caused by	Inspiration from the Russian Revolution As a show of solidarity with shipyard workers[1]
Goals	Pay increases
Resulted in	Arrests of strikers, charges later dropped Foundation of several cooperatives after, including a cooperative bank[2] Build up of the First Red Scare

The Seattle General Strike was a five-day general work stoppage by 65,000 workers in the city of Seattle, Washington from February 6 to 11, 1919. The goal was to support shipyard workers in several unions who were locked out of their jobs when they tried to strike for higher wages. Most other local unions joined the walk-out, including members of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). The national offices of the AFL unions were opposed to the shutdown. Local, state and federal government officials, the press, and much of the public viewed the strike as a radical attempt to subvert American institutions.

The strike's demand for higher wages came within months of the end of World War I, the original justification for the wage controls. From 1915 to 1918, Seattle had seen a big increase in union membership, and some union leaders were inspired by the Russian Revolution of 1917. Some commentators blamed the strike on Bolsheviks and other radicals inspired by "un-American" ideologies, making it the first expression of the anti-left sentiment that characterized the Red Scare of 1919 and 1920.^[3]