Skip to content
Civil Rights and Labor History Consortium / University of Washington

IWW HistoryProject

Timeline Essays Photos Maps Strikes IWW Locals IWW Newspapers Raids/arrests Yearbooks

IWW Newspapers 1906-1946 (maps)

By Kenyon Zimmer

These maps and tables detail the ninety known American periodicals officially affiliated with the Industrial Workers of the World in the early decades of the 20th century (excluding single-issue publications). They were published in 19 different languages and, although many were short-lived and claimed tiny circulations, key newspapers lasted into the 1930s, and the Industrial Worker continues today. These data were compiled by Kenyon Zimmer in connection with his book, Immigrants Against the State: Yiddish and Italian Anarchism in America (University of Illinois, 2015). Scroll below the visualizations for a full list of newspapers and the sources for these maps. Here are other IWW maps.These maps and charts are hosted by Tableau Public and may take a few seconds to respond. If slow, refresh the page.

Move between six maps and databases by selecting tabs below

Sources: These lists of titles and circulation figures have been culled from the incomplete lists of IWW publications in the following works, as well as miscellaneous primary sources: De Leon, Solon, ed. American Labor Press Directory (New York: Rand School of Social Science, 1925), Harzig, Christian and Dirk Hoerder, eds. The Press of Labor Migrants in Europe and North America, 1880s to 1930s (Bremen: Publications of the Labor Newspaper Preservation Archive, 1985) Miles, Dione. Something in Common: An IWW Bibliography (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1986).

Database

City State Publication Language Began Ended Max known circulation
Alexandria LA The Lumberjack English 1913 1913 unknown
Baltimore MD Darbiniku Balsas Lithuanian 1914 1919 unknown
Brooklyn NY Der Yaker Yiddish 1915 1915 unknown
Chicago IL Buoreviestnik Bulgarian 1917 1917 unknown
Chicago IL Rabotnicheska Misul Bulgarian 1917 1917 100
Chicago IL Rabotnicheska Probuda Bulgarian 1919 1920 unknown
Chicago IL Rabotnik Bulgarian 1917 1917 unknown
Chicago IL Glas Radnika Croatian 1919 1922 unknown
Chicago IL Snaga Radnika Croatian unknown unknown unknown
Chicago IL Jedna Velká Unie Czech 1920 1931 3000
Chicago IL Defense News Bulletin English 1917 1918 unknown
Chicago IL Industrial Pioneer English 1921 1926 12500
Chicago IL Industrial Solidarity English 1921 1931 8000
Chicago IL Industrial Union Bulletin English 1907 1909 11500
Chicago IL Industrial Worker (III) English 1931 1938 unknown
Chicago IL One Big Union Monthly (I)  English 1919 1921 6000
Chicago IL One Big Union Monthly (II)  English 1937 1938 unknown
Chicago IL Railroad Workers' Bulletin English 1925 1925 unknown
Chicago IL Solidarity (II)  English 1920 1921 unknown
Chicago IL The New Solidarity English 1918 1920 1500
Chicago IL Workers Defense English 1931 1932 unknown
Chicago IL Industrialen Rabotnik Finnish 1924 1924 unknown
Chicago IL Der Klassen-Kampf German 1919 1920 unknown
Chicago IL Der Weckruf German 1912 1915 unknown
Chicago IL A Felszabádulás Hungarian 1918 1925 800
Chicago IL Bérmunkás Hungarian 1912 1946 6000
Chicago IL Ipari Munkás Hungarian 1917 1917 unknown
Chicago IL Uj Taradalom Hungarian 1917 1917 unknown
Chicago IL Il Nuovo Proletario Italian 1918 1919 1000
Chicago IL Proletaras Lithuanian 1919 1923 2000
Chicago IL Solidárność  Polish 1913 1917 unknown
Chicago IL Muncitorul Romanian 1919 1919 150
Chicago IL Golos Truzhenika Russian 1918 1927 1500
Chicago IL Povenetakaya Sveada  Russian unknown unknown unknown
Chicago IL Rabochaia riech' Russian 1915 1915 unknown
Chicago IL Trudovaia Mysl' Russian 1919 1919 unknown
Chicago IL Defensa obrera Spanish 1918 1918 unknown
Chicago IL La Nueva Solidaridad Spanish 1918 1919 unknown
Chicago IL Solidaridad Spanish 1919 1930 7500
Chicago IL Nya Världen Swedish 1919 1919 unknown
Chicago IL Der Industrialer Arbayter Yiddish 1919 1919 unknown
Cleveland OH Průmyslový Dĕlník (Cleveland; Chicago) Czech 1913 1915 unknown
Cleveland OH One Big Union Bulletin English 1935 1935 unknown
Cleveland OH Solidarity (I)  English 1911 1917 12000
Detroit MI The Young Recruit English 1932 1932 unknown
Duluth MN Industrijalni Radnik (Duluth; Chicago) Croatian 1925 1925 unknown
Duluth  MN Ahjo Finnish 1919 1919 500
Duluth  MN Industrialisti Finnish 1917 1975 10000
Duluth  MN Teollisuustyöläinen Finnish 1916 1917 unknown
Houston TX The Rip-Tide English 1935 1935 unknown
Joliet  IL The Industrial Worker English 1906 1907 1024
Lawrence  MA Het Licht Flemish 1919 1919 unknown
Lawrence MA L'Emancipation (Lawrence;Olneyville) French 1911 1912 unknown
Los Angeles CA The Wooden Shoe English 1912 1914 unknown
Los Angeles LA El Rebelde Spanish 1915 1917 2000
Los Angeles CA Huelga General Spanish 1913 1914 1000
Minneapolis MN Allarm Swedish 1915 1917 unknown
New Bedford  MA A Luz Portuguese 1919 1919 unknown
New Orleans LA Voice of the People (II) English 1913 1914 1500
New York NY Fellow Worker English 1920 1920 12000
New York NY Machine Age English 1929 1929 unknown
New York NY One Big Union Advocate English 1939 1939 unknown
New York NY Rebel Worker English 1918 1919 12000
New York NY The Labor Defender English 1918 1918 unknown
New York NY The Marine Worker English 1921 1936 25000
New York NY The Negro Worker English 1918 1918 unknown
New York NY Luokkataistelu Finnish 1919 1919 5000
New York NY Tie Vapauteen Finnish 1919 1929 8000
New York NY Védelem Hungarian 1917 1917 unknown
New York NY Il Lavoratore Industriale Italian 1906 1907 unknown
New York NY Il Proletario Italian 1906 1942 7000
New York NY Haidamaky Russian 1914 1916 unknown
New York NY Solidaridad Spanish 1919 1930 7500
New York NY Industriele Arbayter Shtime Yiddish 1920 1920 5000
New York NY Klassenkampf Yiddish 1919 1919 5000
Paterson NJ Textile Worker English 1919 1919 500
Phoenix AZ La Union Industrial Spanish 1919 1919 unknown
Portland OR Voice of the People (I) English 1914 1914 1500
Providence  RI Ragione Nuova Italian 1919 1919 unknown
San Diego CA Libertad y Trabajo  Spanish 1908 1909 unknown
San Francisco CA Cal Defense Bulletin English 1918 1918 unknown
Seattle WA Industrial Worker (II) English 1913 1931 9000
Seattle WA The Industrial Unionist English 1919 1919 unknown
Seattle WA The New Unionist English 1918 1918 unknown
Seattle WA Solidaridet Swedish 1919 1919 unknown
Seattle WA Industri-Arbetaren Swedish/Norwegian 1924 1925 unknown
Spokane WA Industrial Worker (I) English 1909 1913 9000
Tampa FL El Obrero Industrial  Spanish 1914 1914 unknown
unknown unknown Darbunuku Balas Hungarian unknown unknown unknown

Research: Kenyon Zimmer.

Database management and maps: James Gregory, Arianne Hermida.

Facebook Page
Civil Rights and Labor History Consortium, University of Washington