Strike or anarchist plot? The McCormick riot of 1886 reconsidered

The reigning historical consensus is that the McCormick Riot of 3 May 1886 was a spontaneous conflict between strikers and scabs that provoked a brutal police attack. This re-examination of the evidence shows the complicated nature of work relations in the plant, the different interests and loyalties of various groups of McCormick employees, and the early involvement of Chicago's anarchists in exploiting McCormick's union tensions for their own purposes. New revelations detailing August Spies' private motives for revenge against the police are uncovered.