The article focuses on the historical significance of the Peterloo Massacre in 1819, where protestors fighting for workers' rights were killed by cavalry. This event, commemorated in Manchester, links to global workers' struggles, echoing similar incidents like the Lattimer massacre in Pennsylvania and Sharpeville in South Africa. Manchester, as the first modern industrial city, was pivotal in forming a new urban working class. Influential thinkers like Friedrich Engels highlighted their harsh conditions, making Manchester synonymous with working-class struggles in the 19th century.
The British cavalry charged at workers who had gathered to demand political representation, killing at least 18 people and injuring hundreds during the Peterloo Massacre.
Nowadays, politicians from across the political spectrum scramble to appeal to working people, a reflection of the enduring political power of the working class.
Engels wrote about the emergence of this group of laborers in his 1845 book, The Condition of the Working Class in England, highlighting their appalling living conditions.
'Manchester becomes a symbol for the working classes' in the 1800s,
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