The Haymarket Affair, often referred to as “Blood and the Bomb,” arose from a confluence of labor unrest, anti-capitalist sentiment, and heightened tensions between workers and law enforcement in late 19th-century America. The industrial revolution had led to rapid economic changes, resulting in poor working conditions, long hours, and low wages, sparking demands for better treatment and the eight-hour workday among laborers. The situation escalated on May 4, 1886, when a peaceful rally in Chicago's Haymarket Square in support of striking workers turned violent after a bomb was thrown at police, killing several officers and prompting a brutal crackdown on labor activists. The ensuing trial and public reaction highlighted divisions between worker movements and authorities, stoking fears of anarchism and radicalism in American society, ultimately leading to a chilling effect on labor activism in the years that followed.
waht where the causes for the Haymarket Affair: “Blood and the Bomb”
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