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A City in Terror: Calvin Coolidge and the 1919 Boston Police Strike
Contributor(s): Russell, Francis (Author)

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 ISBN: 0807050334     ISBN-13: 9780807050330
Publisher: Beacon Press
OUR PRICE: $22.05  

Binding Type: Paperback - See All Available Formats & Editions
Published: May 2005
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Annotation: On September 9, 1919, an American nightmare came true. The entire Boston police force deserted their posts, leaving the city virtually defenseless. Their strike made an inconspicuous governor, Calvin Coolidge, known throughout America, turning him into a national hero and, eventually, a president. It also created a monster: for two days, more than 700,000 residents of Boston's urban core were without police protection, and the mob ruled the streets.
"The Boston Police Strike, long forgotten and too long ignored, is here described with great drama and verve by Francis Russell. It is an extraordinary moment in the history of Boston, as well as an important event in the nation's labor history."--Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States
"Francis Russell is wonderfully aware of the subtle but important distinctions of class and neighborhood that have been so much a part of Boston's history. A City in Terror is well written, full of shrewd social analysis and cultural history, and provides an account that gives perspective to today's serious confrontations."--Robert Coles, New York Review of Books
"A fascinating study and social history of one of the strangest episodes in American labor history . . . as well as an unforgettable lesson in the machinations of big-city and state politics."
--The New Republic
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- History | United States - State & Local - New England (ct, Ma, Me, Nh, Ri, Vt)
- History | United States - 20th Century
- Political Science | Law Enforcement
Dewey: 331.892
LCCN: 2005273511
Physical Information: 0.64" H x 6.64" W x 9.04" L (0.71 lbs) 264 pages
Themes:
- Chronological Period - 1900-1949
- Cultural Region - New England
- Geographic Orientation - Massachusetts
- Locality - Boston-Worcester, Mass.
Features: Bibliography, Illustrated, Index, Maps, Price on Product
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
On September 9, 1919, an American nightmare came true. The entire Boston police force deserted their posts, leaving the city virtually defenseless. Women were raped on street corners, stores were looted, and pedestrians were beaten and robbed while crowds not only looked on but cheered.

The police strike and the mayhem that followed made an inconspicuous governor, Calvin Coolidge, known throughout America, turning him into a national hero and, eventually, a president. It also created a monster: for two days, more than 700,000 residents of Boston's urban core were without police protection, and the mob ruled the streets.
 
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