Why America Isn't Ready for a General Strike
Can you really shut down a country that can’t agree on what it wants?
There is a lot romanticized talk in liberal circles about the idea of nationwide general strikes in the U.S. in response to perceived grievances. Many people believe that regular democratic processes (e.g., elections, courts) are failing or too slow to address urgent issues. They’re looking for other ways to make their voices heard, beyond just voting. The appeal of the idea is fueled by historic successes in other countries and a yearning for systemic change.
It’s easy to understand why people are drawn to the narrative. It's a bold, hopeful alternative to the slow, often frustrating pace of traditional politics.
“The average American voter likes democracy in the abstract, but doesn't like it in practice. By far, their preference is that government would do what they prefer to do, with no muss, no fuss, no public conflict. And that is a completely unrealistic notion of how a representative democracy works.”
- Kevin Smith, Ph.D, Political Science, University of Nebraska
The power of a general strike comes from its directness. It's a clear and unmistakable statement. When people stop working, they hit the economy where it hurts, making it impossible for leaders and corporations to ignore their demands. This is a very different kind of power than, say, waiting for a law to pass or hoping for a politician to change their mind. It’s an immediate, forceful display of leverage.
The idea of a general strike is perfect for social media. It's clean, dramatic, and inspiring. A simple hashtag or a powerful graphic can really sell it, a beautiful vision of millions of people standing together to stop the world and get their way. It’s the ultimate protest fantasy, a perfect story for a post going viral.
But the reality of a general strike is far messier.
Of course I’m not the first to point out that in the U.S. of 2025, a general strike faces severe structural and cultural barriers. Beyond basic worries about missing rent or losing a job, there are all kinds of practical challenges.
The first hurdle in our highly polarized and partisan times is identifying shared values and demands. What’s a nonpartisan, broad enough platform for a general strike? We have serious delusions about the degree to which our partisan values are shared across the political spectrum. People tend to think that their own values and beliefs are more widely shared or "common sense" than they really are. Liberals and conservatives alike sometimes assume the opposition understands and simply rejects their values out of bad faith, ignorance, or malice, rather than genuinely seeing the world differently.
While most Americans, regardless of party affiliation, have a general commitment to democracy and freedom, the priorities, definitions, and applications of those values can differ sharply. Each side can be shocked to discover how differently basic principles are interpreted, such as what “democracy” or “justice” should look like.
Mass strikes gain legitimacy not just from the number of people who participate, but from broad public support. This support is built when the strike's purpose is seen as a moral imperative rather than a purely political or economic one.
Looking at past cases (Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, etc.), some patterns stand out:
Government / regime approval: below 30%
Approval of democratic values: above 60%
Public dissatisfaction with economic or rights conditions: above 60–70%
Willingness to protest/strike (in polls): at least 25–30%
These conditions simply don’t exist in the United States in 2025.
Current polling data indicates that while overall approval for President Trump may fluctuate around the 40% mark, his approval among Republicans remains very high, at around 85-90%. This is a key factor. The unwavering support from a large, organized, and politically engaged base means that any mass action would likely be seen as partisan politics and met with strong opposition, not just from the government, but from a substantial part of the population.
This high level of partisan loyalty complicates the concept of a general strike as a unified, mass action. It's difficult to gain the broad public legitimacy needed when such a large group of people actively supports the incumbent and views the strike's goals as illegitimate. This creates a deeply divided landscape, making it hard for a single, unifying movement to take hold.
In France and Belgium unions play a central organizing role. Unlike Europe, the U.S. has weaker unions, less collective bargaining infrastructure, and legal frameworks that make coordinated strikes harder.
The United States has never experienced a true, nationwide general strike that brought vast sectors of the country to a simultaneous halt. There have been significant regional and sector-specific general strikes, particularly in major cities, but there has never been a successful or even attempted general strike on a truly national scale involving multiple sectors across the entire country.
I’m curious. If you see a nationwide general strike as the answer, what would be your demands?
We should probably keep in mind that general strikes aren't the only solution. Other powerful actions that go beyond just voting include: boycotts, civil disobedience, protests, and mutual aid networks (see this post for a Summary of Actionable Resistance).
While general strikes have the potential to be a powerful tool, they face some serious hurdles in the United States today. The biggest challenge isn't just about getting enough people to participate (the three-and-half percent rule is often cited); it's about gaining broad public legitimacy.
With so many people still supporting the current administration, a mass strike wouldn't be seen as a unified, national movement. Instead, it would likely be viewed as just another partisan protest, a mirror image of the deep political divisions we already have. Without a widely shared sense of purpose, calls for a strike can end up as little more than social media slogans that don't translate into real-world action.
But the fact that people are even talking about a general strike is a significant sign. It shows that many Americans feel like the traditional ways of creating change, like voting, aren't enough. This hunger for a new form of power and leverage reveals a widespread fatigue with our existing political institutions and highlights the stress points in our democracy.