This work investigates the 1919 Boston Police Strike as a pivotal moment of civil collapse and political transformation in early 20th-century America. Francis Russell, a historian specializing in New England history, utilizes primary accounts and archival records to reconstruct the two-day period of lawlessness that gripped Boston. The text argues that the strike served as a catalyst for the rise of Calvin Coolidge, whose decisive response to the chaos propelled him from a local official to a national political figure.

Historians and scholars of labor relations frequently cite this work for its vivid reconstruction of the social breakdown that occurred during the strike. Readers often note the narrative focus on the immediate chaos, which provides a clear window into the political climate of the post-World War I era.