E126: [TEASER] Fireside Chat - How we won the weekend

New Fireside Chat available exclusively for our Patreon supporters about the true history of the weekend, struggles over time off from work, and what is missing from mainstream accounts.
Our podcast is brought to you by our Patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclusive early access to podcast episodes, ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, free and discounted merchandise and other content. Join us or find out more at patreon.com/workingclasshistory

Listen to the full episode here on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/workingclasshistory/posts/e126-fireside-we-169049458

While mainstream narratives credit antisemitic capitalist, Henry Ford, with the creation of the modern two-day weekend, the reality is that it was something which millions of workers around the world organised and fought for.
Time, like wage labour, and many other facets of modern life, seems like a natural phenomenon. But the way we experience time has been shaped almost entirely by human societies.
From ancient Mesopotamia, and major world religions including Judaism, Christianity and Islam, we trace the history weekend to mediaeval Europe, Iran, China, revolutionary France up to the present day in the US, UK and elsewhere.
From drunkards in Austria, to oil workers in Azerbaijan, anarchists in Chicago, and women in Detroit, in this episode we look at the people who, together, created the weekend.
The majority of workers in the West today don’t realise that the modern two-day weekend that most of us enjoy only really became widespread in the last 80 years. And while today we take it for granted, employers and governments everywhere are making moves to erode it. At the same time, as automation continues, and large language models promise ever-higher productivity, a new generation of workers is calling for its extension – to a three-day weekend without loss in pay.
Who will ultimately prevail, depends on us.

E125: Fireside Chat – How We Won the Weekend – Available exclusively for our supporters on Patreon
Full episode webpage: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e126-the-radical-history-of-the-weekend/
WCH commemorative merch about the weekend: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/all/weekend

Acknowledgements

Thanks to our Patreon supporters for making this podcast possible. Special thanks to Jazz Hands.
Edited by Jesse French
Our theme tune is Montaigne’s version of the classic labour movement anthem, ‘Bread and Roses’, performed by Montaigne and Nick Harriott, and mixed by Wave Racer. Download the song here, with all proceeds going to Medical Aid for Palestinians. More from Montaigne: website, Instagram, YouTube.

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