One city prides itself as the cradle of the working class. Here’s why

British forces charge crowds during bread riots in Manchester, England, in 1819. The event became known as the Peterloo Massacre, when troops were ordered to disperse the crowds. Rischgitz/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Rischgitz/Getty Images MANCHESTER, England — In the center of this industrial city in northern England, a memorial commemorates protesters killed here at a demonstration for workers’ rights in 1819, in what became known as the Peterloo Massacre. The British cavalry charged at workers who had gathered to demand political representation, killing at least 18 people and injuring hundreds. On the monument to those killed, arrows point outward to Pennsylvania, where unarmed strikers were killed at the Lattimer mine in 1897, and to South Africa, where peaceful protesters were killed at an anti-apartheid rally in Sharpeville in 1960. What links these places is a shared history of workers’ struggles and people’s uprisings around the world. The monument is not the only thing putting Manchester at the center of this long tradition. Sponsor Message National Why working-class voters have been shifting toward the Republican Party Why working-class voters have been shifting toward the Republican Party Listen · 4:47 4:47 Transcript Download