General strike
A coordinated work stoppage across multiple industries or sectors, intended to exert broad economic or political pressure.
Strike action: A collective refusal by workers to work, usually to advance employment-related demands. A general strike is a broad form of strike action spanning multiple sectors.
Winnipeg General Strike: A six-week 1919 strike involving tens of thousands of workers in Winnipeg, Canada. It became a landmark case of a citywide stoppage and state response.
Chartism: A nineteenth-century British working-class movement seeking political reform through mass petitions and collective action. Chartists debated a general cessation of work as a means of advancing political demands.
Sectoral strike: A work stoppage limited to a particular industry, occupation, or sector. Unlike a general strike, it does not seek participation across many sectors.
Labor law: The body of law governing relations between workers, employers, unions, and governments. Legal protections and restrictions shape who may strike and what consequences follow.
Trade union: An organization formed by workers to represent their shared interests in employment. Unions can coordinate participation, communication, and demands across workplaces.
Seattle General Strike: A 1919 strike in which tens of thousands of Seattle workers stopped work for five days. It tested whether workers could coordinate city services and production without ordinary management.
First International: An international organization of labor and socialist groups founded in 1864. Its debates linked workers’ international solidarity with collective political action.
Wildcat strike: A strike organized by workers without authorization from their union leadership. A general strike describes breadth across sectors, while a wildcat strike describes authorization.
Essential services: Services whose interruption may threaten public health, safety, or basic needs. Their continued operation can limit participation or require special strike arrangements.