The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1912-12-27
II. DEFINITIONS
BY Robert Hunter.

Courtesy of The National Socialist. }
The General Strike, in it's largest
application and most literal sense
may be defined as the stoppage of all
work, in all branches of the economic
life, whether industrial, agricultural
or commercial. The stoppage of all
work may confine itself to a single
country or extend to all countries.
The term is also applied in a more
restricted sense, as for instance, to a
strike of all workmen in single state
or province of country 1t is also
used to cover an international strike
in one industry or in man industries
We speak of general strike of the
miners, railroad employees, bakers and
brewers.
The present advocates, however, of
THE General Strike, do not use that
term in this sense. There have been
many strikes, few entirely success
full.
What is really meant by the present
day advocates of the General Strike is
that the most important trades-those
that dominate the entire industrial
system-shall cease work at the same
moment.
''If, for instance" says Jaures, the
French leader, "the railroad employees,
the miners, lockers, and longshore.
men, the employees in the weaving and
spinning industries, and the building
trade employees in the great cities.
were to quit work simultaneously, we
might say that there was a general
strike. Because to bring about gen
eral strike it is not necessary that
the whole number of trades should
be in line; it is not even necessary
that in the trades that are on strike
every single workman should go out.
If it is sufficient that those trades
where the power of capital is most
concentrated and the power of labor
best organized and that are, therefore
the keystone of the economic system,
decide on a suspension of work and
it is enough if they are backed up by
such a large number of workmen that
the work of those trades is stopped. y
zThe aim of such strike is, of coure,
to paralyze the industrial and cam
mercial life of the nation, and any
General Strike to be successful must
at least include enough of the work
ers to render production, transporta-
tion, and exchange impossible.
, These definitions make it obvious
that the General Strike, in its largest
sense, is not weapon to be used as
a remedy for sectional, craft, individ-
ual wrongs. The miners strike for an
eight-hour day; the railroad employees
for higher wages; the bakers for more
sanitary workshops; the machinists
Z strike to defend a member of their
craft, Such strikes may, and do, be-
come general so far as these trades
are concerned, but need not involve
g other trades.
So. too, the workman of town OF
country may stop work for the pur
4 pose of forcing electoral or Legislative
n reforms. Such a strike may become
a political mass strike, as the Ger
q mans say, and have for it's purpose
II TO show the unanimous desire of the
81 workers for certain reforms. 1t is
rough and ready form of the initiative
and referendum. The workers de
y mands are made in mass meeting
Their common determination is
measured by the extent and success
q of the General Strike demonstration
q Such strikes are always brief, declared
& for dinite purpose; and when the
q solidarity of the workers has been
n definitely shown, the strikers return
81 to work.
y Such strikes have in recent years
become increasingly common, especi
. ally where the suffrage is limited.
Z Some have been successful. But while
2 they may be termed general strikes
: they are not the General Strike that
! is contemplated by the revolutionlsts
2 who are today pushing the propogan
: da of this new method of war.
! The General Strike as now advo
z Gated does not concern itself with
: small affaires. 1t rests on profound
: ly revolutionary theory, and holds ou'
2 promises to the working class thai
: embrace the idea of its emancipa
! ton. It is inconceivable Ito this its
z advocates agree) that any vast mum
Z her of workers should be willing &c
: resort to an action so perilous ano
z impovershing except for some reward
2 that would adequately repay then
! ALL for the immense privations they
( would need to suffer.
2 The French propagandists fully re
) alize this fact. They frankly say tine
Z General Strike is the revolution Th'