Strength in Numbers

Abstract

Tenant mobilization in cities across the Americas during the early twentieth century was rooted in local social networks articulated among women in tenement houses, neighborhood residents, ethnic groups, church members, and other forms of informal, nonworkplace association. What distinguishes tenant mobilization during the early twentieth century from earlier examples of urban popular protest is the changing nature of civil society and the state. A shift toward more broad-based democratic governance and a corresponding discourse of citizens’ rights provided renters a powerful new framework from which to articulate their grievances. Collective action on the part of tenants required not only ample resources “from below” but also an opening for such protest afforded “from above.” Critical support for popular mobilization can also be seen, as relatively new political elites broadened their popular base as they battled with more established powers