It refers to a strike where a considerable size of the entire labor force participates in a city, region, or the whole nation. General strikes are usually designed to show solidarity among the workers and may be brief. The fourth chapter of the Black Reconstruction is entitled “The General Strike.”
Du Bois argued that when the basic rights of the slaves were infringed upon, they unanimously stopped working and crossed the enemy lines. He says that a general strike played an important role in shaping the conversation and negotiations that gave birth to several outcomes. It was clear that slaves were not contented with the mean wage they received and that this was a crucial turning point in the fight against discrimination and poor pay.