The Working Class History Map

History is written by the victors. Which may be why the ruling classes, composed as they are by the wealthy and powerful, have always been more interested in promoting their own history and perspectives than in giving a voice to the lives and achievements of the working class. As a result our history lessons and textbooks always focus on the exploits of kings, politicians, and other elite figures, while largely ignoring the contributions of ordinary people.

The Working Class History Map wants to redress the glaring elitism of traditional notions of our collective history by mapping the "stories of our collective struggles to build a better world." Zoom in your town on the Working Class History Map and you can discover the local stories of working class people, workers movements and working class acts of resistance. 

For example if I zoom-in on my neighborhood in East London I can learn more about the Plaistow Land Grabbers (unemployed workers growing food on squatted land) and the Matchgirls strike of 1888. The Working Class History Map includes over 10,000 stories of working-class struggles and achievements, so you should be able to find some working class heroes who played an important role in your own local history.

If you click on the funnel icon (next to the search box on the map) you can view the map's filter options. This allows you to refine the results shown on the map by date-range, by topics, by people and by organizations.

Via: Webcurios