Municipal Socialism and the Making of the Modern City

Join us at the Iowa City Public Library for a community lecture with historian Shelton Stromquist, author of Claiming the City: A Global History of Workers' Fight for Municipal Socialism. Drawing on his research into grassroots labor movements around the world, Stromquist traces how urban workers after 1890 turned to city government—rather than national politics—as a battleground for change. From fights for clean water and public health to affordable housing and democratic control of local institutions, this talk explores how ordinary workers challenged propertied elites and reshaped the industrial city from the ground up.
A discussion and Q&A will follow the talk.
Date: Sunday, 27th
Time: 2pm-4pm
Location: Iowa City Public Library, Meeting Room A
Free and open to the public. All are welcome.