Labor Day Films: Plutocracy Pt. V. Subterranean Fire; Howard Zinn's A People's Hst. Bread & Roses

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Last edited Sun Sep 6, 2020, 03:24 PM - Edit history (2)

https://dailyblocks.tv/r/Documentaries/comments/bo3iw6/plutocracy_v_subterranean_fire_2019_part_5_of_the/

*WATCH*


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- Plutocracy V: Subterranean Fire (2019) - Part 5 of the excellent free series on the history of the suppression of the labor movement and the US working class is out! (1hr 58 min). Watch here on VIMEO; *also airing on FSTV, the Free Speech TV Chanel online, Dish TV, etc. Check FSTV schedule for listings. https://freespeech.org/schedule/
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(NOTE: 'Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States,' Part 1. Bread and Roses. 90 mins., excellent, is also airing now on FSTV, https://freespeech.org/schedule/#).

- Trailer. Film, 'Howard Zinn, A People's History of the Unites States,' Part 1. Bread and Roses.
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~ From Plutocracy director Scott Noble, all of the entries in the film series were designed to be self-contained. In other words, you needn’t have viewed the previous films to enjoy the latest.

The new Plutocracy documentary focuses mostly on the 1930’s to 1950’s – arguably the most important period in modern American history. These decades included the Great Depression, the peak of labor militancy in 1937 (probably the closest the US has come to a popular revolution since 1787), the rise of the “guest worker” phenomenon, the counter-attack against labor unions, the creation of the military industrial complex, the rise of the FBI, the foundations of the civil rights movement, and the purging of radicals from organized labor and public life.

> For those who think this is ancient history and not particularly relevant, you will be surprised to see the many parallels to current events. The film is particularly relevant insofar as it explains how American unions were rendered more and more powerless, leading ultimately to neoliberalism and a general lack of effective working-class resistance.

The subject matter of the Plutocracy series is not exactly light and fluffy. It’s frequently very dark, because it’s an accurate telling of the American experience. I’m not Ken Burns. But I’ve also tried to focus on some of the many inspiring episodes of American history: stories of ordinary people coming together and fighting back against incredible odds. Part V includes a section on the incredible sit-down wave of 1937, focusing extensively on the auto industry.

I’ve also ended each film on a positive note. In part I it was the New Orleans general strike of 1892; in part II it was the Lawrence Textile Strike, etc. I end part V with the current resurgence of strike activity. Although the situation looks rather bleak, we witnessed more American strike activity in 2018 than any year since 1986. We also saw the largest strike in human history occur in India. ~
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Diego Rivera, 'Man At The Crossroads' fresco, 1933 at Rockefeller Center prior to destruction.

https://dissidentvoice.org/2019/06/plutocracy-v-subterranean-fire/

Plutocracy V: Subterranean Fire, the lastest documentary from Metanoia Films, by Kim Petersen / June 4th, 2019

Plutocracy V: Subterranean Fire, written and directed by Scott Noble, continues the run of quality documentaries by Metanoia Films. The film provides the historical context that allows the viewer to understand why inequality reigns while social justice and peace lag today. The, at first blink, curious title stems from a quotation by the American labor leader August Spies, who was one of four anarchists hanged in 1887 after being found guilty in the bomb explosion that wounded and killed several policemen and civilians in what became known as the Haymarket affair.

Said Spies to the court: But, if you think that by hanging us you can stamp out the labor movement—the movement from which the downtrodden millions, the millions who toil and live in want and misery, the wage slaves, expect salvation—if this is your opinion, then hang us!

Here you will tread upon a spark, but here, and there, and behind you, and in front of you, and everywhere, flames will blaze up.

It is a subterranean fire.

Subterranean Fire documents historically how the capitalist class have nefariously accumulated wealth and power for selfish purposes by depriving working people of dignity and rights...

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1. Kick for US Labor