Income inequality has become a central hot issue in modern politics. While these economic and class divides are more pronounced than ever, stunning new documentary Plutocracy: Political Oppression in America shows that the core of these struggles predates the advent of an industrialized workforce. The long and painful road to workers’ rights and fair wages has been marked by violence, discrimination and inhuman exploitation.
Consider coal mining in West Virginia in the early 1900s. Working in extreme conditions, plagued by brutal hours, unprecedented accident rates and serious health hazards, the miners decided to fight back by striking and forming their own unions. The industry itself has chosen to fight back by bringing in replacement workers and creating new contracts that prohibit workers from unionizing. The struggle for freedom from the tyranny of wealthy industrialists resulted in thousands of deaths and many more injured and imprisoned.
As the film demonstrates, even before industrialized capitalism hit American shores, the country’s Founding Fathers saw the possibility of this class conflict. During the Civil War, considered the most destructive labor conflict in American history, there were hundreds of thousands of casualties, many of them from the poorest segments of the population. The wealthiest figures of the day paid impoverished soldiers to fight on their behalf, and some, like business magnate John D. Rockefeller, were able to escape the burden of service by paying three hundred dollars in cash.
Throughout history, the price of freedom has been far greater than dollars and cents. Change is only possible when working people are united under a common cause of fairness and equal rights. Plutocracy: Political Repression in America is a smart and compelling story about an issue that continues to drive economic instability and power dynamics today. The film honors the sacrifice of all who fought for the freedoms we enjoy today and reminds us of the importance of demanding equality for all and speaking truth to those in power.
Directed by: Scott Noble
