Black and white image of a group of cheerful women participating in a protest, holding a sign that reads 'Sit-Down Woolworth Workers Strike Help Us Win 40 Hr. Week.' The women are dressed in uniforms and appear enthusiastic.

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.

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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.

Episode

More information

A historic scene depicting a lively tavern setting with characters engaged in various activities, one raising a shoe, while others appear to be in conversation or dispute.
Lithograph depicting drunken workers celebrating Saint Monday at a tavern in Vienna, by Joseph Lanzedelly the Elder, 1818
A black baseball cap with the text 'BRING BACK SAINT MONDAY' in white lettering.

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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Published by Working Class History

History isn't made by kings or politicians, it is made by us: billions of ordinary people.