French trade unions played a historical role in the 1930s quite unlike that of any other labor movement. Against a backdrop of social unrest, parliamentary crisis, and impending world war, industrial unionists in the great metal-fabricating plants of the Paris Region carried out a series of street mobilizations, factory occupations, and general strikes that were virtually unique in Western history. Written in a style that evokes the vivid character of this turbulent era, Every Factory a Fortress recounts the story of the Paris metal workers who organized the largest Communist union in the Western world, reshaped industrial relations, and, ultimately, changed the course of French destinies.